


Recompense

by katydid3145



Series: Remittance Series [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-05-19 05:19:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 73,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5955094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katydid3145/pseuds/katydid3145
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Debt. Everyone owes something to someone. In the end, it all comes down to who comes collecting first. And how much you can afford to lose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Roy had been young, and incredibly stupid, he had often wondered what it would have been like to have siblings. He had spent a great deal of time when he was child thinking about having a younger brother or sister. Someone who was always there. Someone who wouldn't shy away from Roy's idiosyncrasies. Someone who would have been just as much an outsider as he was.

He had even brought it up to his parents once or twice.

More than once or twice. It may have been an obsession of his for a few months.

Or years.

He tried everything. From pleading, to begging, to his earliest attempts at blackmail.

Didn't they want another child? All the kids in his class had at least one sibling. Some even had two or three. Which was a lie, but he was willing to risk it if it would convince his parents. How would it look having only one child? Wouldn't people talk?

Oddly, his feeble attempts never convinced them. Their answer remained frustratingly repetitive throughout his formative years.

They only ever wanted one child.

They had never planned to have any more. One child was enough for them. They were content to have him as their only son.

As he grew older, Roy had wondered if that was true. Maybe his parents had once wanted several children. One of those big families, with four or five kids running around. A whole gaggle of children, a large chaotic home. Full of noise and life.

But after Roy was born…after seeing how…defective he was...

Perhaps they had decided against it. Decided that one was all they could handle. They couldn't risk having another one like him.

Roy had never blamed them for that decision. If he was being honest with himself, his motivations for wanting a sibling had always been very selfish. He had never considered the financial burden another child would have put on his parents. Or the stress and time management a large family would entail. He gave no consideration to the real world implications of asking his parents to have another kid.

Having a sibling had never been about his parents. It was far more…childish a reason.

He didn't want to be alone.

A part of him had hoped that his hypothetical sibling would be born with the same condition he had. That he could have someone to truly talk to. Someone he could confide in. His isolation, his fears.

His fear that he was missing out on so much of the world.

That he would spend the rest of his life alone in a world of shadows.

After spending the past few weeks cooped up in the safe house with the Rogues, Roy no longer wanted to know what it was like to have siblings. He now realized the error of such a wish. He had been so focused on the idea of another child born with the same condition, it never even crossed his young mind that his brother or sister would be born "normal". That their personalities would be completely different. That they would fight and bicker, taunt and tease, or downright resent one another.

If he could go back in time and slap his younger self, he would. Young Roy didn't realize how precious his isolation had been.

Roy had thought he had gotten used to the lack of personal space. Gotten used to every other Rogue leaning into his bubble, or outright taking up residence in it, like Shawna tended to do. Thought he had learned to ignore the way Digger laughed far too loudly at jokes that only he found funny. Or Mardon's almost constant remarks on how powerful he was. Or how irritating it was to try and get either of the Snarts to give a straight answer. Thought he could ignore Hartley's caustic retort to simple questions, or Mick's unnerving stares.

Except that had been prior to all eight of them living under the same roof.

Prior to not being able to leave the safe house.

The entire city was still on a constant look out for them. The Rogues continued to take up a good chunk of the nightly news, and at least one of their pictures appeared daily on the front page of the newspaper. Roy didn't want to know about the number of blogs and online articles Hartley had mentioned were written about them.

Every detail of their lives was displayed for the world to see. All their crimes and actions since they had become metas was fodder for the daily news.

Oddly, Roy never saw anything about Jones or Collins in any of the headlines. Hartley said he found one small article stating that the company that had owned the apartments had gone under, and that they were being demolished by the new owners.

Roy wondered what the news would have said if the Rogues had died in that fight. Probably nothing. The Rogues would have disappeared and the world would have forgotten about them. Would have debated as to whether they had ever existed at all.

Amanda Waller was exceedingly good at her job.

Then there were the cops and their current obsession with finding the Rogues. Roy supposed it didn't look good to the general public that the Rogues not only broke out of the "secure" prison, but they also managed to take down the CCPD and the Flash in one swoop. Can't call your city the safest in the country, if there was a well-known group of criminals hiding out somewhere. Just waiting to rob the good people, waiting to strike at any moment.

Some police chief had even gotten up in front of everyone and declared the Rogues public menaces.

Called them cockroaches.

Criminals, who needed to be brought to justice.

Like the cops knew anything about justice.

Even the Flash had made a public appearance or two. Made sure to reiterate that the Rogues were dangerous. Not to be underestimated. That if you saw them, you shouldn't get involved. Call the special hotline set up for tips on the Rogues. Let the cops and the Flash handle it. Cold had said that the news treating the Rogues like local celebrities would work to their advantage. It was more likely people would pull out their cellphones to snap a picture of the Rogues than to call the cops on them.

Hartley had been able to tap into the CCPD, ARGUS, and the Flash's communication networks. If, by some slim chance, one of those organizations found out where the Rogues were hiding, Hartley's program would warn them instantly.

Not to mention all the anti detection software and devices the kid had going.

That didn't mean there weren't still some close calls. Shawna and Hartley had gone on a food run not too long after their jail break and had almost been caught by the Rogues Task Force.

Another new idea by the police chief. The RTF as he had called it, were equipped with the best anti-meta-human devices available. He had all but guaranteed that the RTF would capture the Rogues within six months.

Roy thought was all a bit odd, there had to be worse criminals in Central City. Sure the Rogues killed, but only if they had to. Wasn't like they were out there killing people and cutting out their tongues. That killer had been on the news for a few days now. Where was the task force to catch that sociopath?

Still, the RTF had been an annoyingly persistent adversary. Hartley had been rechecking his programs since their close call. Trying to figure out how the RTF had managed to find them on such an innocuous trip. Hartley had taken it as a personal offense. He had dedicated an unhealthy amount of time trying to figure it out.

Cold seemed to think the STAR Labs kids were using some kind of satellite tracking. Or they had found a way to detect meta human energy signatures, outside of the way that Hartley and the others knew about.

Whatever it was, it forced Cold to order them to lay low. No one was allowed to leave the safe house, unless it was an absolute necessity. Food and recon missions were the only legitimate reasons in Cold's mind.

Which had been fine for the first week.

And the second.

Even the third.

But by the end of a month, the Rogues had realized just how much they needed an outlet for their pent up aggressions. Hell, Digger and Mick had gotten into a fist fight over a poker game the other day.

It had started innocently enough, up until Mick had accused Digger of cheating. Digger hadn't denied it, and it escalated from there. Mardon had joined in after a few minutes, Roy assumed simply out of boredom. No one had used their powers, and Mick hadn't touched his weapon, so the safe house remained remarkably intact. Aside from the general disarray of course.

Neither man seemed to hold any grudge, even though Digger had broken Mick's nose. Roy sometimes envied that about the others. That they could just "fight it out" and be done with it.

Hartley spent a great deal of time working on his weapons or playing chess with Cold or Lisa. Although sometimes Roy thought the kid was going out of his way to antagonize Digger or Shawna. Even Hartley seemed like he was itching for something to do. His boredom causing him to fall back on his more caustic ways. Insulting those around him as a way to pass the time.

Roy was content to ignore them. Content to stay out of all the pointless bickering, and simply shut himself in his room and paint. He had to lock the door, otherwise one of the others would burst in and insist on talking to him. They would even get annoyed when he would reveal that he hadn't been listening to whatever pointless rant they had been going on about for the past few minutes.

Why should they get offended? They were the ones interrupting him.

Painting was not something he would ever be bored with. A concept several of his fellow Rogues couldn't quite understand. Mardon had asked him dozens of times now.

"How the hell can you look at that same thing for days and not want to pull your hair out?"

Roy had tried explaining it the first time. Tried to articulate to Mardon what it was to see an imagine in your mind, to know it has to be brought to the world. For your hand to know the motions without even having to think about it. To be able to communicate with people not through words or ideas, but through your blood put to canvas.

Mardon's eyes had glazed over halfway through Roy's explanation.

Now Roy simply replied…

"I just don't."

It was simple enough. At least in Roy's mind.

Which brought him to his current predicament.

He was out of paint.

He had only brought the supplies he had with him from the cabin. He hadn't realized they wouldn't be allowed to leave. That they couldn't buy anything online that might lead someone to find them. Buying only black or white paint might trigger some kind of internet search alert that the STAR Labs kids or the RTF was running.

Cold had refused Digger's impassioned plea for another trip to the liquor store yesterday. How would their leader react to Roy asking if he could go buy paint?

Especially considering that the cops and by proxy, the Flash, knew about Roy's painting habits. They might have local supply stores under surveillance. Or Cisco might have set up their facial recognition software to constantly scan art stores for any sign of Roy. Facial recognition is how Cisco had found Roy the first time around. Which was another example of legally dubious means of capturing meta humans. Roy simply added that to the pile of illegal things the Flash was allowed to get away with.

Cold was a pragmatist. In his mind, and the minds of all the other Rogues, paint was not essential. They didn't need paint to live.

Roy did.

Roy would just have to sneak out on his own and get supplies. Roy was a thief after all. He had managed to leave the city without being detected. Had managed to avoid capture when the others couldn't.

He shouldn't have to ask permission to go out and get something he needed.

Roy sighed. He should run it by Cold first.

He walked into the living room. Cold and Mardon were in there, looking over what looked like blueprints.

"Roy, come take a look at this."

Roy followed Mardon's invitation and walked towards the table.

The structure on the blueprints looked familiar, there was something about it…

Roy glanced up at his two cohorts.

"It's the CCPD."

That couldn't be right. Why would they be looking to break into the police department?

"It is in fact. There is some information in lock up that we need to acquire. Although this job will take more finesse than brute strength."

"Still say we should just blow the whole damn building away."

"A suggestion you keep making Mardon. I'll take it under advisement. But until then, we need to steal information without anyone knowing that it has been taken, or that we are the ones that have taken it."

"What kind of information?"

"It may or may not surprise you to learn that several of the mob families went back on the deals I made with them when we were locked up. As such, there is a power struggle currently happening in the underworld. We need to restate our position within this new structure. And to do that, we need leverage. Inside a locked cabinet in the basement, there are several files. Files that contain information about dozens of police informants and members of the crime families. We get this information, we will be able to…extract the information we need from the informants to re-establish order to the underworld."

Roy looked at the plans again.

"You don't want us to use our powers?"

"No powers, no distinctive weapons. Nothing that can link the crime to us. We don't want the cops or the informants to get spooked. So we are going old school on this one. Hartley's even going to have to tone down his hacking skills so they don't get suspicious."

"I see."

"We will spend the next few weeks planning this out, learning schedules. Doing a few dry runs. They have our faces plastered all over the place, so we will have to plant cameras in strategic places. They have all their most sensitive information kept in a special area, one that is immune to meta human powers. Our friends at STAR Labs have managed to create a dampening field in the room. So there will be no easy way in and Shawna won't be able to get us out if things go sideways."

"The cop cars we stole will help with the charade. We will have to steal a few more things to make it believable. I have several police uniforms tucked away that we will be able to use to get us inside."

Sometimes even Roy couldn't believe the audacity of Cold's plans.

"We are going to dress up as cops and walk through the front door? Someone is bound to recognize us."

"Which is why half of our team is going to be creating a distraction on the other side of town. Drawing the Flash, and the cops to their location. The rest will infiltrate the station. We do this at night, there will only be a skeleton crew to begin with. If we are lucky, no one will be looking to closely at a bunch of officers milling about."

When had the Rogues ever been lucky?

"I assume you have a back up plan in case we get caught."

"I do. But that can wait until tomorrow. We will have a meeting in the morning to go over the particulars. Everyone will get their assignments."

Roy nodded. It was time for the Rogues to reclaim their position in the underworld. No doubt all of them would be relieved to finally have something to be working towards. Something that would allow them to leave the safe house.

Speaking of which…

"I've run out of paint."

Cold and Mardon stared at him for a moment. Mardon looked confused.

"So? Just wait a couple weeks til the job is done. No sense in risking anything for something so…"

Cold interjected before Mardon could finish that thought. Not that Roy didn't know exactly what Mardon was going to say.

Something so…unnecessary.

Maybe Roy would finally get to punch Mardon. Not that it would do him any good. It would only hurt his hand, and that could influence his ability to paint.

"Now is not the time to be taking risks Roy. As soon as we have our alliances in order, we can return to our usual activities. "

Roy swallowed any annoyances he felt at their dismissals. He wasn't asking to run out and grab his favorite beer or snack food.

He needed paint.

He needed it to be able to breathe properly. To be able to interact with the world around him. To take the things his mind couldn't understand and give them to his hands to interpret.

Painting centered him. It focused him.

Roy wasn't surprised that they didn't understand. The memory of his destroyed paintings still burned in his mind.

So he simply nodded.

"All right."

Mardon went back to the blueprints, Cold continued to frown. Snart opened his mouth as if to say something else but then Lisa and Mick barged into the room. Both of them yelling about some ridiculous thing. Cold's attention turned to his sister. Roy took the distraction as an opportunity to slip out.

He locked the door to his room and sat down on the bed. If he had run out of canvas he could have simply started painting on the walls. Roy supposed he could sketch. Find some pens and paper. There was bound to be extras of both just lying around.

He rummaged through the old desk still taking up space in his bedroom. He found several old ballpoint pens. He stared at them for a moment, his hand hovering over them. Roy hated the idea of not knowing if the ink was blue, red, or black. It wouldn't change the way he sketched, but it would change everything about how others saw it.

He hated that he was still influenced by the mocking of his peers in art school. Hated that he even cared what others would think if the colors "clashed." That term meant nothing to him.

He closed the desk drawer.

He could never get the shading right with pens anyway. Everything always turned out darker on the page than it was in his mind. If he at least had some charcoal…

It could take weeks, even months, for the Rogues to get back to where they were before. Dealing with mobsters takes time. Takes patience. Roy could be patient.

As long as he had an outlet.

He had gone weeks without painting before. The months he had spent in Iron Heights prior to becoming a meta human. But even then, they had "art classes". Supposed rehabilitation programs, meant to help them channel their emotions into something positive. Roy had often stolen paints so that he could use them in his cell.

But now…now he couldn't even access paint. The last time he had no way of getting paint…had been in the pipeline. Roy tried to ignore the similarities to his current situation.

He wasn't trapped in a small cell. He could leave the room. There was no one watching his every movement. He could walk out at any time.

He just couldn't leave the building.

It was different.

The idea of leaving, of just saying screw it, and sneaking off to the nearest art supply store crossed his mind. More than crossed it.

He was mentally calculating when the best time to leave the safe house and return without being noticed would be. He looked up distances to the nearest store on his phone.

Roy sighed and rubbed his eyes. He put his phone back in his pocket and laid down on the bed.

Cold was right. They couldn't be taking risks right now. Not when they were planning to break into a police station. They needed to be smart.

His painting…it could wait a few weeks.

He had gone longer without painting, he would survive this agonizing separation. He…he would find something else to distract him. Something to keep his hands moving and his mind in order.

Digger had offered to show Roy how to throw a boomerang. Even knowing exactly how that exercise would end, Roy considered it.

He could borrow books from Hartley. Lisa could teach him how to play chess. Watch some trashy reality show with Mardon. Have Shawna show him some basic first aid.

He would find a distraction. That was it. He probably wouldn't even notice how much time had passed. A few weeks. That was nothing.

There were other things to focus on now.

He would barely even notice the time passing.

* * *

Breaking into a police station was no different than breaking into any other building. There were security loopholes to exploit, schedules to learn, time tables to memorize. It was just the stress of it that made it any different. Here was an entire building filled with people who were trained to shoot you. Who had your face on a wall when you walked in. Who could pull a gun and kill you before you even had a chance to react.

That was bound to make anyone a little nervous.

Not that you could tell by looking at Mick. The man was as silent and confident as ever. Striding purposely forward through the entrance of the police station.

Fifteen minutes ago the rest of the Rogues had started robbing a bank across town. They had "accidentally" tripped a hidden alarm. A specially designed meta human alarm. All the banks around town had taken to buying things of that nature. Shelling out thousands of dollars on ridiculous looking systems.

Roy thought they should get into the business of making meta human alarms. He was certain who ever was making them was making a killing playing on people's fears. Hell Roy had seen people selling such devices on the street the last time he had gone out on a recon. Claiming their alarms would keep the people safe from any meta human.

Snake oil salesmen.

Didn't matter if they were in a fancy building or selling the devices out of the back of a van. None of them would do the average person any good. Knowing a meta human was nearby wasn't going to do anything to stop them from using their powers.

And what if it was just some law abiding meta? One who didn't use their powers? The cops would be called every time some Joe Schmo tried to deposit some money into the bank.

Hartley had spotted the alarm a week ago, but the plan was to provide a distraction. To keep all eyes focused on the bank robbery. So no one would notice anything odd about two cops pulling into the parking garage underneath the precinct. Nothing suspicious. Just two police officers who hadn't heard about the fight across town. The one that had dozens of cops streaming out of the station a few minutes earlier to go and help with.

The parking garage had been almost completely empty. They flashed their fake credentials to the officer at the check in. They had made sure to pick a time when a new cop would be manning this entrance, one who didn't know every single cop in the precinct. One who might not think to double check on them. Not when there was something much more exciting happening elsewhere. The cop was more focused on listening to the police radios, trying hear all the juicy details of the big meta human fight.

It was wearing a police uniform that bothered Roy the most about this whole thing. More than the dyed blond hair that was mostly hidden under his police hat.

Mick, well Mick looked like he belonged in a uniform. He carried himself with that rigid line that most cops had. This strange sort of bravado that Roy always assumed came from the fact that they carried guns around. That they could flash them around whenever they wanted to keep people quiet. Mick could do that with a look, he didn't need the gun on his hip.

He was certain the moment they walked in someone would take one look at Roy and know he didn't belong there. Even with a gun, Roy couldn't fake that cop swagger.

"Just pretend you are a rookie."

Lisa had found Roy and Mick dressed as cops particularly hilarious. She had even taken a few pictures with her phone. She mentioned something about posting them on the internet. After the plan was all done of course. Just to make the cops look even more like fools.

"I'm a little old to be a rookie."

"Welllll, maybe…Officer Martin was a late bloomer. Decided to switch careers late in life. He wanted to pursue his life long goal of helping people and…"

"We don't need to invent backstories."

"Mick! Of course you need backstories. What if some oblivious cop asks you about your life while you are standing in an elevator. You can't just grunt at him like you normally would. Officer Banks would talk about his wife and three kids. How his youngest daughter is learning to play the piano. And how his wife…"

"Is screwing every guy on the block?"

"You're not helping Hartley."

"What? I mean, we can't give them ridiculously happy background stories, otherwise people will get suspicious. Roy, how about you were a carpenter, but then your wife was murdered and…"

"This isn't a low budget action movie, it needs to have more realism. More emotion, I think they…"

That conversation had lasted one hour and twenty-seven minutes.

By the end of it, Roy was certain that Lisa and Hartley had created life histories for Mick and Roy's false identities that were more realistic and detailed than most autobiographies.

Not that Mick or Roy memorized any of it. If all went according to plan, they were going to get in and out without having to do more than nod at anyone who passed by. If they did get stopped, the person talking to them would probably notice they weren't who they said they were.

So they walked quickly and kept their heads down. Turning away from the cameras like they practiced. The entire point of this was to get in and out without anyone noticing that anything was wrong. So Hartley had hacked into the police camera system and made a few minor adjustments. The cameras moved at a regular pattern now. If anyone reviewed the footage, all they would see were two cops walking through the precinct.

It was just bad timing that you could never see their faces. That was all. No reason to be suspicious.

They made it to the basement where the files were kept. The security cameras here didn't move. They just stayed focused on the door. No way to hide their faces, or hide what they were after.

But that shouldn't be a problem in 3…2…1…

The power to the precinct went out. The entire basement pitched into darkness.

Not just the precinct. The entire city.

It was just bad luck that the bank the Rogues were robbing was so close to the Central City power grid. And how could anyone have predicted that Mardon would accidentally overload the grid with a lightening strike. Nothing more than a coincidence that the power went out at this exact moment. Just two cops, walking down in the basement as a part of the regular rounds.

The cops had put a great deal of thought into protecting this room from meta human attacks. Alarms, locks, anti-meta devices. Roy was surprised there wasn't a giant boulder above the door. But in the end, even the CCPD had budgetary restraints. They should have installed a bank vault door, or kept a permanent cop outside. Something in case all their pretty devices failed.

Thankfully they hadn't considered all the possibilities. With the power down and most of the cops out facing down the Rogues, all that was left was a single locked door.

Roy pulled the lock pick kit out of his pocket. He hadn't had to use one of these in awhile. Brute force or Shawna's powers were the normal method for dealing with locked doors. Roy moved the pins in the lock until he heard that old familiar click.

He had actually kind of missed doing that.

He had forgotten how satisfying it was to turn a handle to a door you had just unlocked. It was the simple things that had made being a thief so pleasurable for Roy.

"Forty-seven seconds."

Roy refocused on the task at hand at Mick's words. They didn't have much time before the power returned. They needed to have the files, and be back in position before the cameras came back.

They quickly found the files Cold had told them about and pulled out the papers they needed. They replaced them with blank pieces of paper. Mick stuffed the files into the hidden pocket sewn into the inside of his uniform.

They walked back into the hall, closed the door behind them, and waited for the lights to click back on.

Which should be in about…

"You guys lost?"

Roy raised a hand, as much to block the light from the flashlight pointed directly in his eyes as to attempt to hide his face.

Damn it.

This was all they needed. Mick kept his voice level, and his face slightly turned downward.

"Thought we heard something, didn't end up being anything."

"I got you, the basement is creepy on the best of days. With the lights out, it's even worse. The back up generators should…Ah, there we go."

The lights flicked on. Roy could see the young officer across from them. The man was looking up at the lights, his gaze not yet focused on the two men across from them.

Roy knew that using his powers was out of the question. If anyone found out that the Rogues had been here, it would ruin everything. So they were going to have to talk their way out of this.

Which wasn't exactly Roy or Mick's strong suit.

Digger had tried to convince Cold to let him tag along to the station.

"Come on mate, I'm the best talker you got…"

"The best bullshitter."

"Exactly, thanks Hart."

"I wasn't…you just don't want to stay in the car."

"That's not true, I mean…"

"Digger, Hartley, enough. The plan stays as is. Mick and Roy will be able to improvise if the situation calls for it. As long as the cops don't find out it was us, do whatever you need to."

Roy wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation. Both of them were carrying police issue guns, but a gunshot would bring a lot more cops running. Roy looked to Mick. The pyro had more experience than Roy, he was the lead here. Roy would just go with whatever Mick decided to do.

Mick pulled his gun.

Then pointed it down the opposite hallway.

"Did you hear that? There's that damn noise again Martin."

It took Roy a second to remember that he was Officer Martin. He followed Mick's lead and pulled his weapon.

The cop was staring down the hall.

"I didn't hear anything."

"Shit. If you don't hear it…"

"What?" The cop looked nervous now. He had pulled his gun as well. He aimed it in the same direction that Mick was pointing.

"There's been reports of this meta, can make you see things. Dresses like a damn magician. So far it's been low level stuff. Turning pencils into snakes, guy in the park said he saw a bird get turned into a puppet. Captain Singh hasn't added him to the meta list because the bastard hasn't done anything harmful. Just seems to like showing off. Martin, you take the left. Officer…."

"Richards."

"Richards, start down the hall. I'll cover your back, but…If Martin and I can hear it, then our judgment might already be compromised. You see anything strange you holler back. There are rumors that he can make people disappear."

The cop's hands were shaking slightly. The kid might not have ever gone against a meta human before. Roy turned his head to hide his smirk. Richards' eyes hadn't left the slightly darkened hallway in front of him. Roy doubted the man had even looked at the two incredibly suspicious thieves behind him. Hadn't even considered what they were doing down here in the first place. Too focused on the potential attack from a meta human.

People were so worried that a meta might kill them, they were taking their focus off of regular criminals. Ignoring the signs around them.

They were going to have to pull a few more low-key heists if it was going to be this easy.

Richards started down the hallway. His gun out, pointing it towards every noise, every flicker of a shadow. Mick nodded to Roy. The two of them turned and walked quickly towards the exits.

They made it back to the police cars without any further problems. Mick pulled the files out and handed them to Roy when they got in the car. They were halfway back to the safe house before Roy spoke to Mick.

"What if that kid tells someone he saw two cops that told him about a potential meta? Then they just disappeared?"

"What? You mean, what if that damn rookie tells his boss that a couple of other uniformed cops told him about a magician that was haunting the lower levels of the CCPD? Two cops who don't exist? A meta that doesn't exist? They'll write the kid off, tell him he was getting pranked by others. Or they won't believe him. Odds are, the kid realized how stupid the whole thing sounded a few minutes after we bailed and got wise. Kid won't want his bosses to think he's some dumb punk. My money says he keeps his mouth shut."

Roy could see the logic in that. Cops were little more than alpha male thugs most of the time. Richards wouldn't want to lose any standing in his friends' eyes, so he would lie to save face.

Roy wondered how many crimes went unsolved because of a cop's pride.

Roy smirked and eyed the files in his hands.

At least one more.

* * *

Shawna had to admit, seeing the boys in those uniforms had made her laugh. Roy had rolled his eyes, Mick had grunted and adjusted his tie. If there were ever two people in the world she couldn't imagine as cops, it was Roy Bivolo and Mick Rory. Roy looked so damn uncomfortable in the uniform. Like it was full of itching powder. She had resisted the urge to ruffle his bleached blond hair a couple times. Though it had been difficult.

Especially when he glared at her.

So adorable.

Mick looked like he was going to grind his teeth down to the molars in that suit. So damn rigid, man was bound to snap in two if she even thought about touching him. He had outright refused to wear a wig, so he was just sporting your standard issue cop mustache.

Circa the 1970s.

She was going to ask Hartley to Photoshop Mick's head on to a CHIPS poster later.

She was glad Cold didn't want her to go with them. She would have been giggling the entire time. She was definitely going to grab some of the pictures that Lisa took. Maybe blow them up, hang them around the safe house every so often.

Breaking into a police station wasn't something Shawna had ever thought she would do. And technically she wasn't doing it right now. Now she was teleporting large sums of money into the back of a stolen moving truck. Just because this whole thing was a distraction didn't mean they weren't going to walk away with a boat load of money.

Now there was an idea.

Maybe she would buy a boat.

She had never considered it before. But with the money they were pulling, she could actually do it. Growing up with nothing, it was strange to now have so much. Most of the time it didn't feel real. Hartley had created off shore accounts for them in some bank halfway around the world. Some nights she would pull up her laptop and just stare at the amount on the screen. Hitting the refresh button every so often, just to convince herself it was real.

The amount was downright obscene.

She could hardly contain her smile.

She didn't know how to drive a boat. Hell they pull a couple more jobs like this and she could buy a boat and hire a crew to man it. Then she could go wherever she wanted. Somewhere beyond the horizon.

Somewhere beyond her sight.

She had always wanted to travel. Her and Clay had talked about it so much back when they were still together. What they would do when they finally hit it big. When they finally had the cash to break free of the city. They were going to move somewhere warm, somewhere with a beach. Be the kind of people who moved to an island and opened a bar. Who watched the sun set over the sand at night.

When things calmed down a bit, after Cold said it was safe to move around freely, she might take a little break. Might just see what the world was like outside of Central. She'd never even left the city.

Even when she had dreamed of running away with Clay, there was always this part of her that didn't believe she would ever leave. That she would be stuck in the same city for the rest of her life. She would never have the money, or the strength, to leave.

But now…

Now there were so many avenues open to her. So much she could do. It was finally all happening. She could see all those places she had seen on tv. Or in magazines. All the places she had dreamed of seeing since she was a little girl and her dad had brought home those copies of National Geographic that the library had been giving away.

All those mountains. All those lakes and seas. Everything so full of color. Everything so big and open.

Of course, if she ran off to see the world, she'd be on her own again.

She'd be vulnerable again.

No one to watch her back. No one to keep an eye on her if she got spotted by some ARGUS agent. Just because Amanda Waller had backed off, didn't mean she had gone anywhere.

Maybe she could get one of the others to go with her. Lisa would definitely be willing to jump on a jet and see the world. She had been complaining the other day about having to buy a new leather jacket and not being able to find the right one in Central. How she would just have to fly to Paris to steal another one.

Cold wouldn't mind. He'd probably just make them check in every few days. Send text updates.

It wasn't like she was abandoning the Rogues. Just a little vacation.

That was it.

She just wanted a little vacation. Not like they all didn't deserve it after all the shit they went through last year.

She could probably convince Roy to travel with her. Go see all the great museums of the world. Maybe steal a couple masterpieces. Sneak a couple of his paintings into a collection. He might like that.

Although he would probably like the time away from the others more.

He was…well Roy was always reserved. Always held back, but it just seemed like he was doing it more. Like there was still…

"Watch your sweet ass love."

Shawna simultaneously took Digger's advice and flipped him the bird. He would definitely never be invited. That guy was such a creeper. It made her hate him all the more when he saved her life.

She teleported directly into the moving car. Digger flashed her a smirk and she rolled her eyes. He handed her a tablet and started speeding the car away from the fight.

If everything went according to plan, the cops would seize the moving truck, thinking all the cash was still inside. The cops hadn't noticed that Cold had frozen the bottom of the truck, shattering the metal bottom, allowing them to drop all the cash straight down into the abandoned subway tunnel below. Lisa was waiting down there with one of those old mechanical pulley things. The Rogues were going to take the cash right out from underneath the cops.

Shawna kept an eye on the situation on the tablet. Mardon and Hartley were doing most of the distracting. Mark was blowing huge gusts of wind around, kicking up dust and debris. Hartley was keeping people back with his gauntlets. Blowing out car and building windows. Also emitting a high pitched noise that would distract any police dogs that tried to sniff them out later.

The cops had set up a perimeter around the bank. Seemed to be their default position. Sit on their hands and wait for the Flash to show up. At this rate, they would be gone before old speedy pajamas ever showed up.

Then there was the whole Rogues Task Force to watch out for. So far they hadn't done anything. Just kept gearing up. Pulling out all their gizmos and fancy toys. They'd try to take out Mardon first, he was always the one they focused on. Of course they will have noticed that no one had seen Digger, Roy, or Mick yet. Probably assumed they were waiting in the wings, waiting to strike when the Flash showed up.

Lisa had been front and center early on, but had faked being injured. It had allowed Shawna to teleport Lisa away without anyone questioning where the female Snart sibling had gone. Cold was also intermittently missing from the action. He had gone into the truck under the guise of moving the money.

The tablet switched to a view of the docks across town. She teleported there instantly. It was quiet, not a cop in sight. No one around except the birds and the fish. She would see a few fishing boats out on the water. She watched the way they rocked back and forth. Moving in time with the waves.

Yea. She was going to get a boat.

She waited a few moments, then teleported back into the still speeding car. It had taken a few tries for her to get to the point where she could teleport into a moving car from such a distance using the cameras on the tablet. Definitely had a few scraped knees and a bruised tailbone from her first attempts.

She repeated the pattern, teleporting to random locations around town. Each time she would reappear in the moving vehicle, Digger would change directions. She kept her eyes on the tablet.

The Flash had finally decided to grace them with his presence.

Shawna looked down as her watched beeped. Alright, that was enough fooling around.

She teleported down to the abandoned tunnels where Lisa was waiting. Lisa looked up with a smile.

"Boys just checked in. They've got the files. Time for us to make our escape."

Shawna nodded at Lisa's instructions.

"Just in time, the Flash just showed up. Cold and the others have it handled."

"I would hope so. I would hate to think we spent all this effort to just steal from some boring old cops."

Shawna smirked at all the money currently being moved towards down the tunnel. Digger should be waiting by the exit by now, with their getaway vehicle.

Mick had found an old school bus in a dump and had fixed it up. Hartley was able to create some kind of projection on the windows. Anyone who looked into the bus would just see a bunch of teenagers coming back from a football game. No way the cops would stop a busload full of kids, especially not with a bunch of dangerous meta humans nearby.

Lisa and Shawna moved the carts full of cash into the elevator. Digger was waiting for them at the top.

"Ladies. Your chariot awaits."

Shawna rolled her eyes at Digger's exaggerated bow.

"Finally found a job you can't screw up Digger?"

"I'll have you know that bus driver is a very noble profession. Takes a very zen mind to deal with screaming brats all the time."

The three of them started piling the cash into the back of the bus. Shawna's watch beeped again.

"Back in a flash."

She teleported and grabbed Hartley away from the scene. Cold was still distracting the Flash. The hero didn't even notice it was just Mardon and Cold left now.

It was funny. The Flash could easily run in and grab them all before they even knew what had happened. But he always slowed down. Always had to try and talk to them for a bit.

God knows why. Boy had a bit of a complex, always trying to save people. Did he really think any of them were going to listen to one of his speeches one day and join the good guys?

Pass.

Maybe the kid did it because he was a do gooder who didn't know when to give up.

Maybe it was because he knew that Cold always had a back up plan.

She teleported Hartley to the bus, then went back. She hid behind a nearby wall. Keeping an eye out for Cold's signal.

"…honestly Scarlett. I'm a little hurt. We've been robbing this place for nearly 20 minutes now. Did you have better things to do?"

"Why do you keep doing this Snart? We both know how it is going to end."

"With me and my crew leaving with all that cash? Considering our track record of escapes, I would say the odds are considerably in our favor."

"What do you want Cold?"

"Money of course. Or did the robbing the bank part not give that away." Cold turned to Mardon. "I thought our intentions were rather clear."

Mardon smirked.

"Oh come on Cold. We gotta spell it out for the kid. That mask he wears is too tight, cuts off the blood flow to the brain."

Cold turned back to the Flash.

"Next time, we will make sure to leave a detailed explanation. Perhaps a small thesis on the societal constructs of the criminal mind. I can also have everyone write out a list of what we intend to spend our ill gotten gains on. So as there will be no confusion. Wouldn't want people thinking we were the Robin Hood types. Mardon…"

"I'm thinking of buying a convertible. Or a small island. It could go either way."

"Enough Cold. There is nowhere for you to go. This ends now!"

"Oh Scarlett I agree, soon all of this will end...However, you know what they say. Those who fight and run away…."

Shawna appeared behind Cold and Mardon and placed a hand on their shoulders. She gave the Flash a wink.

The three of them were instantly back at the bus.

Mardon finished Cold's line.

"Live to steal a bunch of cash another day."

They piled into the bus and Digger drove them out of the garage. The streets were crowded with on lookers. Trying to get a glimpse of a fight between the Flash and the Rogues. A cop was frantically trying to get people off of the street. He waved their bus through the traffic quickly, never even giving it a second look.

It was weird to be looking out the windows, seeing all those people standing around. Seeing some of them turn and look right at her. She kept waiting for one of them to starting pointing, to yell that the Rogues were getting away.

But no one did. Shawna had to admit, Hartley was good at this tech stuff.

Mardon laughed and slapped Hartley on the shoulder.

"Damn kid. Can't believe this is working."

"Of course it's working. The reflective coating that I put over the glass combined with the cameras that will mimic what is actually happening outside…"

Cold turned to Lisa.

"Mick and Roy?"

"Should be back at the safe house before we get there. Mick said they got all the files without any trouble."

"Excellent, Hartley?"

Hartley stopped his explanation and flipped open a small computer.

"No signs of pursuit. Shawna teleporting to different locations earlier has them chasing after false leads. Aww, poor Cisco, sounds like he is frustrated. Take that you talentless hack."

Shawna smiled. Getting the cops and the STAR Labs kids to run around in circles was icing on the cake. She looked back towards the cash. The multimillion dollar cake.

They were back at the safe house in a no time at all. Each of them piling out, still hopped up on the adrenaline of a job.

Roy had already changed out of his uniform by the time they entered the main area of the safe house. Which was a shame, she had really wanted a picture with him in it. Mick was still in his uniform although the tie was noticeably missing. The files they had stolen were spread out on the table. Mick glanced up as they all entered.

"What's the take?"

Cold walked towards the table and spread some of the files around with his hand. Seemingly only glancing at all of them. Shawna was certain he was actually memorizing them.

"Roughly 2 million a piece."

Digger laughed and walked towards the kitchen.

"Honestly, it's like they want us to rob them. Putting so much cash in one place? What the hell were they thinking?"

Mardon scoffed.

"Probably that they had their new Rogues Task Force to keep their money safe. Not that it did them any good. Those idiots didn't even do anything. Just stood around with their thumbs up their assess waiting for the Flash to show up and take care of it."

Digger tossed Mardon a beer, and Mark flopped down on to the couch.

"No problems with the cops?"

Roy looked at Cold.

"We didn't have to use our powers. We can run through the security feeds later and make sure our faces were never seen clearly."

"Good, do that in the morning. We need to make sure there aren't any loose ends that need taken care of."

Roy nodded then walked towards the kitchen. Digger offered Roy a beer and the artist took it. Shawna wandered over and grabbed one as well. She leaned against the kitchen island and looked at the Rogues spread out around the room.

Mick, Lisa, and Cold were standing around the table looking through the stolen files. Mardon and Hartley were lounging on the couch, though Hartley was still looking through his programs. Checking again for any sign of a tail. Digger was rummaging through the fridge, while Roy sipped his beer beside her.

Shawna smiled. She loved this feeling. This moment of knowing that the job was done. That the money was theirs and nobody was going to take it.

Nobody could ever take this from them.

Shawna finally gave in and ran a hand through Roy's hair.

"I kinda like it blond. You should keep it this way Roy." Roy gave her a small glare then took a step away from her.

She grinned wider.

One day she was going to buy that boat. Sail away from it all. See the world outside of Central.

Leave all this criminal stuff behind.

Maybe in a couple weeks, a couple months.

Maybe in a couple years.

As long as they kept pulling jobs, as long as she got to always come back to this moment…

The world could wait.

* * *

A/N: I'm thinking this one won't be as long as the last story, but then I say that to myself every single time. So we will see.


	2. Chapter 2

Blood red.

It was such a unique color.

Or so he was told.

The color of blood was something that people spoke about a great deal. Especially when he had been in art school. There was something…primal, something visceral in seeing the color of blood on the canvas. Roy remembered one of his fellow students…Ian? Evan? Ian…something or other, did an entire collection using only variations of the deepest reds.

Roy had been completely underwhelmed by Ian's show. His technique was sloppy, his shading was childish, and the brush strokes were completely amateur. Roy had expected everyone to see the same flaws, the same weaknesses in the paintings.

But they didn't. The show was a huge success for Ian. He sold three paintings that night and had been offered a show of his own at a prestigious gallery. Everyone had raved about Ian's art.

How bold it was. How unique.

How it spoke to the very core of what it meant to be human.

All Roy saw was the technique, he had no primal reaction to it. No emotions attached to the color red. By this point he had learned that when it came other artists, no one cared what he had to say. Clearly Roy couldn't understand the true meaning of the piece. Couldn't experience it the way everyone else had. So his opinion on the matter was meaningless.

Although that didn't stop him from speaking out against Ian's work several times. He tried to point out the issues to his teachers, tried to make his peers see the flaws.

But they never did.

They just spoke of the "honesty" of the painting. How strong it was, emotionally.

Clearly Roy wasn't a true artist, if he couldn't feel the emotions of Ian's work.

Roy had broken in to the gallery once. He had sat in front of Ian's paintings for hours. Trying to see what everyone else did. Trying to understand what it was that he was missing. All he could see was the brush strokes, the lines, the shapes. Why should something so simple as color, change a piece of art so dramatically? Surely there couldn't be that much difference between what Roy saw and what everyone else was seeing.

Roy figured it was the color itself. There was something in humans that reacted to the sight of blood. Something that made us feel…uncomfortable in the presence of it. We shied away from the color. We tried not to think on it.

The way it reminded us of how little it would take to have all of it come spilling out.

The fragility of our own lives.

Maybe that's why Roy wasn't reacting badly to the scene in front of him. The smell might get to him. But the blood…the blood looked just like any other dark liquid. He might as well have been standing in paint.

It had spilled everywhere.

It covered the floor. The walls. Roy wondered if there would be any on the ceilings if he looked up.

He looked down, the dark liquid was staining his shoes. It had to be blood. In his mind, he knew there was nothing else it could be. Nothing else that seeped into the very crevasses the way blood did. The way it stained everything it touched.

The smell….

Roy pulled out his cellphone and dialed Cold's number.

He turned and started walking as quickly as he could out of the apartment building. But not so quickly that he would attract any undue attention. He removed his glasses, just in case he was spotted. Having them on might decrease his odds of being recognized, but he would rather be able to use his powers instantly if pressed. Especially if whatever had killed those people was still around.

The cellphone at his ear continued to ring.

"Come on…pick up. Pick up."

Roy's whispered plea went unanswered. He turned sharply down an alley, towards where the car was parked. Mick would be waiting inside. Everything would be fine. They would get back to the safe house, and everything would be fine. Roy gave up on trying to reach Cold.

Roy dialed Mark's number.

The phone rang uselessly in his ear.

No one answered his call.

There was nothing to be worried about. Most of the others were at a meeting right now anyway. Putting some of that stolen information to good use. They had confronted two mob families already. Both of whom had backed down rather quickly once confronted with the information that the Rogues possessed. There were still a few families that were holding out.

Cold hadn't seemed too concerned. A minor setback. That was what he had said. A minor setback. Nothing they couldn't fix. Nothing he hadn't foreseen.

Roy could see the car now. He could see Mick sitting in the front seat.

Screw it.

Roy started running.

He pulled open the door and shut it quickly.

"What…"

"Drive! We have to go. Now!"

Roy was two seconds from grabbing the wheel and trying to start the car himself.

Thankfully, Mick seemed to pick up on Roy's sense of urgency and pulled the car out of the alleyway.

They were halfway back to the safe house before Mick said anything.

"Why is there blood all over your shoes?"

Roy looked down. That dark liquid. The one that everyone else had such a strong reaction to, the one that so many people feared, was indeed covering both of his shoes.

Roy was fascinated by it. By the way it seemed to darken everything. Obscuring all the lighter shades. Seeping into his shoes…he wondered if his socks would be darkened as well.

He must have left footprints behind in the hallway. Down the stairs. Maybe even straight to the car.

The dark liquid was following him wherever he went.

"It…it was everywhere."

Mick kept driving. The silence stretched between them. Roy remained fascinated by his shoes. If Mick attempted to speak with him again, Roy didn't hear it. He didn't know why he couldn't stop staring at them. It wasn't like he would suddenly be able to see the color, would be able to understand it.

Roy barely waited for the car to stop once they were back at the safe house. He just opened the door and went straight to take a shower. It was overkill on his part obviously. His shoes were the only things that had been covered in blood. It hadn't even gotten into his socks. They were still completely white.

He hadn't been stained by it. There was no reason to take a shower. Removing his shoes would have removed all the evidence he had brought with him.

But once he was in the water, he found he didn't want to leave it. The sound of the water, the feel of it on his skin, it was calming.

He hadn't realized that his hands had been shaking. His heart pounding in his chest. Had he been breathing like this the entire time?

Why was he reacting like this? There was no danger anymore. He had gotten away from…that…

He had gotten away without anyone seeing him. He was safe. He was in the clear.

He had no idea what had happened in that apartment. The blood…

His hands were shaking again. He reached over and turned off the water. He forced himself to get out of the shower, and walk back to his bedroom.

Had there been some sort of chemical in the room? Was he having some kind of reaction? Was that what had happened to…

He put on new clothes. His old ones, and the stained shoes, sat in a corner. He tried not to look at them, tried to ignore them. But they seemed to always be in his sight. They followed him no matter where he looked. Finally he couldn't take it any more. He picked up the clothes, wrapped them around the shoes, and put it all in a garbage bag.

He was just disposing of evidence. That was it. Any good criminal knows better than to keep anything that could link you to the scene of a crime. He had to get rid of these things. What if the police found his footprint at the scene? Would they think Roy had done…that? They had thought he was capable of murder before, and the way people were reacting to meta humans, the way people feared them…

Roy grabbed the bag and headed down to where they kept the cars. He threw the bag in the trunk. He didn't know where he was going to go to get rid of the evidence, he just knew he had to get rid of it now, had to erase all signs that he had ever been anywhere near that massacre. He was about to get into the car, when the door behind him opened. Two cars drove into the area they had designated as the garage.

Roy turned away from the oncoming vehicles. The others were back. Everyone was fine. There was no reason to think any of them had encountered the same thing he had. They would be here in a moment, they would tell him about their meeting. Tell him everything had gone perfectly. They would ask Roy about his contact. Would ask him what had happened. And he would…he would tell them…

Pete had been an old cell mate. A good one at that. He never tried anything with Roy, never tried to start fights. The man was content to sit in his bunk and read, while Roy was content to sit in his and sketch. When they did speak it was usually just small snippets of conversation. What they had thought of the food at dinner. What the odds were that the new guard would help smuggle things in for them. Roy doubted that in the 8 months he had spent with Pete as a cellmate, that they had spoken for more than an hour total.

But still, when Roy had been released, Pete had told Roy about the cabins outside the city. Told Roy to look him up if he needed anything. Which was generally just something that people say. Not something that Roy ever intended to do.

But in the three years since Roy had seen Pete, the man had become a player. He held high stakes poker games between several of the mob families once a month. There was never any violence at the games, especially not since there were rumors that Pete kept a meta on hand.

Whether or not it was true was irrelevant. The mobsters believed that Pete had a meta who could see your darkest fears and make them real. They would come to life and haunt you until you died of fright. Depending on who you asked, the powers always changed, always got more and more ridiculous. So the mobsters played their game and never let their disagreements reach a violent level. At least, not at Pete's club. If they did it later, that wasn't his problem.

Cold had wanted Roy to go talk to Pete, see if one of the Rogues could be invited to one of these poker games. Cold intended to use the information they had stolen from the police department at the game. To find the moles and reveal the ones they had to reveal, and more importantly, turn the ones they didn't.

Roy had no doubt that the Rogues would be back in charge of the underworld of the city within the month.

So he and Mick had gone out to talk to Pete. That was all it was supposed to be.

Just a talk.

Just a quick favor.

Roy had told Mick to stay in the car. Pete didn't like many people. And he had never liked it when people tried to use physical strength to make a point. So Mick had agreed to stay in the car and act as backup only. Roy had a panic button, as Hartley had called it, in his jacket pocket. If things went down, he was supposed to push it and Mick would rush in.

Shit, he had completely forgotten about it. It was probably still in his jacket pocket. Which was in the bag with all of his other now stained clothes. Hartley had warned him not to lose it. That it would take time and effort to build a new one.

Roy eyed the garbage bag.

Hartley could make another one.

Pete owned the whole building. Charged his tenets more than their apartments were worth. He kept the entire sixth floor to himself. Roy had never been there before. So he had no idea what to expect when he stepped out of the elevator.

He could remember how quiet it was. There was a tv playing somewhere, it sounded like some kind of game show. People cheering, shouting out answers to help the clearly befuddled contestant.

He had found the silence so odd. Something in it had been so clearly wrong, so obviously insidious.

Roy could smell the blood before he had even reached the door. Before he had seen it almost completely ripped off its hinges. Wood splintered and stabbed upwards from the ground. Roy didn't know why he kept walking. Every instinct in him had told him to run. To go get backup.

Maybe it had been some kind of morbid curiosity. A strange desire to see what he knew he would see. There must have been some part, some small naïve part, that thought it couldn't be as bad as he was imagining. It couldn't possibly be as horrific as what he thought.

He had never seen a man's eyes ripped out of his skull before. Had never seen them laying on the table next to a dinner plate. He had frozen at the door. His gaze focused on the odd dichotomy of the eyes next to a half peeled orange, as though both had been prepared for dinner. He had focused on them, knowing they weren't the worst thing in the room. Knowing that he would have to look up and see to whom those eyes and oranges belonged.

They hadn't been Pete's.

He only knew that because Pete was only missing one eye, even from the man's odd position on the ceiling Roy had been able to see that.

The images started to come back more rapidly. The blood, the viscera, the limbs strewn about like discarded tissues.

Roy heard the cars pull up behind him.

He couldn't stop the images, couldn't stop his mind from forcing him to smell the blood. It was overpowering. He looked at his hands…why…why were they shaking so badly? Why couldn't he get his breathing under control?

Roy ran back towards the bathroom.

If any of the others called after him, Roy ignored it. He slammed the door, making it to the toilet just in time to vomit.

He didn't know how long he sat there. His head resting on the seat. He tried not to think about when the last time the toilet was cleaned.

He felt a cold towel press against the back of his neck. He turned slightly, Shawna was sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

He hadn't heard the door open, she must have teleported inside. He looked at her quizzically. She just shrugged and leaned her elbows onto her knees.

"Hey, you did the same for me once."

Roy closed his eyes and rested his head. Letting the cold from the towel seep into his spine. His hands weren't shaking anymore. He could almost feel like he was breathing correctly again.

Shawna wasn't saying anything. He knew she was still there, he could hear her breathing. Now that he wasn't throwing up, or panicking, Roy could see what he had been doing earlier. The fixation on the blood on his shoes, the shortness of breath, the paranoia.

"I think I went into shock."

"Yea…we kind of figured that was it. What with you basically bolting away from us in the garage. And Mick…"

She hesitated. Roy cracked open an eye. She was biting her lip, it made her appear younger. Like a schoolgirl caught in a lie.

"Mick told you I freaked out?"

"No. Come on, have you ever heard Mick say the words freaked out? He said you were real pale and weren't reacting when he tried to talk to you. Like you couldn't even hear him. He called us and said to get back as soon as possible, that something had happened at the meet. That there was blood…"

Mick couldn't have known what Roy saw. And even if he did…god. Why the hell did he go into shock? It wasn't like he was some kid who had never seen a dead body before.

What would the others think of him now?

Roy had a flashback to a parent teacher conference when he was nine.

"He's an odd little fellow."

His third grade teacher had said that about him to his parents.

He probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. Not something that a nine year old files away in their memory to think on when they are in their thirties. But he distinctly remembered looking at his parents' faces.

His father had looked so…not embarrassed. More, like he had been expecting a statement like that. Like he was resigned to the information. His mother had looked angry for a moment, almost indignant. Roy had thought she might say something. Might defend him.

She didn't.

They had both remained silent. Nodding their heads to whatever else the teacher was telling them.

That was the moment that Roy had realized he was broken. That he wasn't like everyone else. There was something in him that would always keep him distant from others. Everyone, even his parents, had known it. Had seen it in him.

He had just hoped that the same thing would never happen with the Rogues.

But now. Now they would know.

Now they must realize that Roy wasn't one of them. Now they must see the same cracks, the same flaws, that his parents had seen.

He didn't doubt that his parents had loved him.

But no parent thinks they will have anything less than a perfect child. To find out that what they had gotten instead was this…flawed, imperfect thing, must have been very difficult for them.

They had both died before he had turned to a life of crime.

Would they have been surprised? Or when an officer showed up at their door to tell them their only son had been arrested, would they have just nodded their heads and accepted the information? Was it something they were expecting? Roy was never going to fit in, never going to hold down a real job, of course he would turn to crime.

He was, after all, an odd little fellow.

Digger was a mercenary. He had probably seen more death and destruction than all of the rest of them combined. He might have walked over corpses like they were blades of grass. Never giving them a second thought.

Mick had started setting fires when he was young. Roy knew that people had died in those fires. Had Mick sat around and watched people burn? Had he been horrified by it? Mick didn't lock himself in his room when something terrible happened to him. Didn't throw up because he couldn't handle a little gore.

Shawna had been training to be a nurse. She had seen people with their intestines hanging out. Had even described it to them one night when they were having pizza. She had been laughing about it. The others had joined in.

Including Hartley. Roy sometimes envied the boy's ability to shake off the terrible things that had happened to him. The shield of armor he had created for himself. Hartley wouldn't have been affected by something so trivial.

Len and Lisa spent most of their childhoods in fear. So they were experts in dealing with it. Experts in the horrors of what people could be capable of before most kids learned how to read.

Mardon had lost his baby brother. Had watched Clyde get sucked out of an airplane and then had every bone in his body broken. He had recovered. He still managed to walk around and interact like a normal human being. Most of the time.

So it was just the universe screwing with Roy again. He, out of all of the Rogues, was the least prepared to see what had happened at the Roxalana Apartments. The least equipped to deal with…with whatever had happened there.

If any of the others had walked into the apartment. They would have been fine. They would have been able to shake it off. None of the others would have reacted like this. They would have been able to at least provide information to Cold about the meet. Would be able to go more than five minutes without flashing back to it. With out the smell of the blood and the…

"Roy, stay calm, keep breathing…stop thinking about it. Just focus on breathing. We don't have to think about anything else right now."

He tried to forget about it.

Tried to push it out of his mind. But it was everywhere. Every thought somehow looped back around to it.

Back to him standing in that doorway, looking at the bodies of those people that he had once known.

He hadn't been close with any of them. There wasn't any reason for Roy to have reacted so…

"You never told me about your mom."

Roy turned his head back towards Shawna.

"What?"

"Your mom. I mean, there was the painting of her. And she was obviously beautiful. But what did she do? Did she have a job?"

"No…she, she was a housewife. My father…was an ophthalmologist."

"Did she ever bake you cookies? My father would bake these small caramel cakes on my birthday every year. Every time I smell them, I think of him. I think of home and how that felt."

"She…she made pumpkin spice cakes every year for Thanksgiving. I would…I would sit on the counter and watch her make them."

"I bet those smelled amazing."

Roy could almost smell them now. His mother had always been so kind, so gentle. She had always let him lick the spoon, and the bowl, when she was done. He had loved watching her make them. It was such a small thing, so inconsequential in the course of a person's life. Sitting on the kitchen counter with his mother, listening to her hum as she mixed all the ingredients together.

Roy took a deep breath. He just needed to focus on something else. Needed to find something else for his mind to do. Which meant he was probably going to have to leave the bathroom at some point.

Just…just not right now. The others would be out there. Waiting to hear what he had to say. Waiting to see if he was truly so weak that he couldn't even handle a little blood.

He could almost hear their laughter. Almost feel their derision and disdain. Roy sighed and closed his eyes again. He could hold off just a few more minutes. He could…

Shawna stood up, she stepped over Roy and stood by the door.

"I'm going to go get you something to eat and some water. Ok? I'll be right back. Just keep breathing alright?"

Roy gave a half-hearted smile, and a small nod.

Shawna disappeared in a puff of smoke. Roy rubbed at his eyes. He wondered what she would tell the others.

How weak he was?

How pathetic he must look?

He would have to explain everything to them eventually. Cold would need to know. Would need to know about the threats that were out there. Need to know about what had happened to their potential allies.

It would be selfish of Roy to keep the information to himself. He would have to tell them.

Roy took a few more deep breaths.

Eventually.

Eventually he might be able to.

Just…not now.

He pushed himself away from the toilet and leaned against the wall. He tried to focus on nothing else.

Just breathing. That was all that was important right now.

Just to breathe.

Just breathe.

* * *

"You guys should see this."

Mick had phoned and said something was wrong with the artist. Something had happened at the meet. They needed to get back now. Seeing Roy almost run away from them when they had pulled in had been a pretty good indicator that something was wrong.

Not to mention the bag with the blood soaked shoes.

Shawna was still inside the bathroom with Roy. The rest of the Rogues were congregated in the living room. Except for Cold who had left to make some calls, to try and figure out what the hell had happened.

Digger turned up the volume on the TV.

"A gruesome scene today in downtown Central City. Details are sparse at the moment, but it would appear that some sort of mass murder was committed in an apartment complex. The victims have yet to be identified, however sources claim that over a dozen people…"

"Jesus."

Hartley was staring at the images on the screen. The news wasn't showing any of the crime scene, but it wasn't difficult to figure out that it was bad. Simply judging by the number of cops that kept running into the alleyway to throw up.

"What else has it said?"

Digger shrugged.

"Not much. Some kind of slaughter. Nothing concrete. Though the way they are talking about it, sounds like it wasn't your standard mass killing. Not to mention the body bags."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. Digger pointed at them.

"Look at 'em. Ain't got the regular head, chest, feet sticking up. There hasn't been an entire intact body in a single one of the bags they have rolled out."

Hartley looked between them.

"And Roy walked right into that?"

"Looks like. They say it must have happened a couple hours ago. Lucky Cold didn't send him to check with his contact this morning. Roy might have ended up in a couple of those bags himself."

Cold walked back into the room.

Once Mick had called and said that something had gone down at the meet, Cold had immediately started calling all his mob contacts. Trying to find out who was responsible for this.

From the look of frustration on his face, he wasn't getting anywhere.

"No one is claiming anything. No one knows who did this."

Lisa took a step towards her brother.

"Sounds like someone was sending a very strong message."

"But a message to whom, is the question. As far as I can tell, none of the Cortez family had any debts or enemies that would warrant such an attack. I need you to…"

"Contact Cisco and see if he will give me any information on what the cops have found? I know Lenny, pretty sure that boy will give me the launch codes to a nuclear war head if I asked nicely enough."

"Lisa…"

"I know…I know. Such slaughters are bad for business. I'll be subtle."

"We don't know if this was business related."

Hartley pulled his eyes away from the tv for a moment.

"You think this was a personal attack? If it was against us, then someone had their information wrong. Roy didn't show up until hours after it already happened."

"I know…there is something more happening here. Something…"

Cold trailed off, staring down at his phone. He turned and left without another word, no doubt already trying to determine who would have the most information.

Lisa pulled out her phone and started after her brother. Cisco would give her all the information they needed. If STAR Labs didn't know anything about this…

"Shit."

Hartley turned towards Digger. The mercenary was looking down the hallway towards Roy's door.

"He's out of paint isn't he?"

Hartley was surprised by Digger's question. More than surprised really, shocked would be the better adjective. Surprised that the mercenary would remember something like that. Shocked that the brute understood exactly what not having his paints now would do to Roy.

When Hartley was young, his parents had wanted him to learn to play several instruments. The violin, the piano…It didn't matter to them that Hartley was almost completely deaf. Didn't matter that he couldn't hear the notes, or the sounds he was supposed to be replicating. If you wanted to survive in polite society, your child should play an instrument.

Their son would play multiple instruments.

The piano had been the easiest to memorize. The easiest to fake. Just press the right keys in the right order. Add a little more pressure to certain keys when his teacher told him to. It gave the illusion of emotion, of depth to his playing.

The same for the violin. Although it had been a bit more challenging. He had spent countless hours watching tapes of professional musicians. Watching the way their hands moved. Following the exact movements of his teacher. He had become so good at these instruments that it had reinforced his parents delusion that there was nothing wrong with his hearing.

Then had come the flute.

Why two instruments weren't enough for his parents, he would never know. Perhaps one of their friends' kids played three.

The flute had given him trouble. He could memorize where to put his fingers, the movements he needed to make. But he couldn't quite get his breathing right. His teacher would tell him to breather harder or softer, but without being able to hear what the notes sounded like, it was difficult to know if he was doing it correctly. It caused him to doubt himself. To mess up more than he had with any of the other instruments.

The flute was the instrument that had finally convinced his parents that there was something wrong with Hartley's hearing.

The instrument that had prompted them to determine that it was an easy enough problem to remedy. A simple enough thing to fix.

They spent large sums of money on a dozen surgeries to fix his hearing. Sparing no expense of course. Hartley was certain they played up the sympathy factor to all of their friends. What good parents they were, fighting so hard to give their son a "normal" life.

Hartley could remember the pain of those surgeries, of waking up alone and scared in a hospital bed. But telling himself that it would all be ok, his parents would fix him and then…then they might love him. It was his own fault for being broken.

The first thing his parents did after he had healed was to hire a new music teacher. The woman had asked him which instrument he wanted to play first. He had chosen the flute without a second of hesitation.

He had listened to a professional musician play the flute a week prior to his lesson. Had heard how beautifully the instrument could be played. He could only imagine how much he had been butchering the poor thing. How screeching and raw his own playing must have sounded. He would have to work twice as hard to make his playing at least passable to his teacher.

He remembered so clearly, raising the flute to his lips and playing a few notes. The sound of it in his own ears.

His teacher had praised him. Had said that while Hartley's playing wasn't perfect, it was technically sound. The rest of it would come in time.

Hartley had lowered the flute. He remembered feeling sick to his stomach. He had made an excuse, said he was still feeling ill from his surgeries. His teacher ended the lesson there. He remembered fleeing to his room as quickly as he could. The flute still clutched in his hand.

He hadn't been failing at the flute. He hadn't been destroying the works of the Masters. Vivaldi wasn't rolling over in his grave every time Hartley had tried to play.

He just hadn't been perfect.

And that was unacceptable to his parents.

That was failure.

To this day, Hartley could still play the violin and the piano. But it was the flute that he excelled at. It was the only one he still practiced. At first, it had been a childish need to prove to his parents that he could be good enough. He could still be their perfect son.

But as he grew older he realized there was no achievement, no act, that could convince his parents he was good enough.

The flute was a reminder. It stood as a beacon from his childhood. It was the first time in his young life that he had realized that his parents' views on the world didn't line up with everyone else's.

Especially not his own.

Hartley found an odd comfort in playing the instrument that had opened his parents' eyes to his defects. And had opened his eyes to theirs. The flute had shown them what they hadn't been able to admit to, what his parents still couldn't admit to.

There was no doctor, no amount of money, that could fix what was broken between them.

Hartley gazed towards Roy's door. Roy was going to need his paints.

Lisa and Cold were in the kitchen, talking on their phones. Trying to figure out who was responsible. Why someone had ordered such a slaughter.

Shawna was with Roy. Mardon was pacing outside of the bathroom. The man would be too distracted to help them. Mardon reacted badly to fear, he might just kill anyone they came across who looked at them wrong. That would only make matters worse. Mick…Hartley didn't know where Mick had wandered off to. Hartley doubted that Mick would want to risk his freedom or his life to steal art supplies.

Hartley eyed Digger. The absolute last person he would choose was his only option at the moment. Hartley pulled out his phone and quickly looked a map of the surrounding areas.

"There's an art store that sells paints about six miles from here. Far enough away that if we get caught they won't know where the safe house is. Close enough that we could be back within 45 minutes if everything goes smoothly."

Hartley looked towards where he knew Cold was. Their leader would want to know. He wouldn't want them to go actually. Technically they were supposed to limit the number of times they left the safe house.

Cold was being extra cautious. And after today, after what could have happened to Roy…

Digger grabbed Hartley's arm and pulled him out of the chair.

"Easier to ask forgiveness than permission right?"

Hartley pulled his arm out of Digger's grasp but continued to follow the mercenary towards the garage. It was unlikely that Cold would kick them out of the group for this. And Hartley would just blame everything on Digger. Claim he only went along to keep Harkness from doing anything stupid.

If they got caught, Cold would leave them in lock up. Let them sweat a little, at least until he decided they had learned their lesson. Hopefully Waller didn't whisk them off to some other hidden prison. Didn't put them on the Suicide Squad, leaving Hartley to die in a foreign country without the Rogues there to watch his back.

Was it really worth it to risk their lives for paint?

Hartley thought about the week after he had been kicked out of his parents' house. After he had been disowned and abandoned. They had kept all of his possessions, and ordered their security to not let him back in for any reason.

He had had nothing.

Well, that was a little dramatic. He had gotten the job at STAR Labs, so he had enough money to rent an apartment and feed himself.

But his flute…

He hadn't had it when he needed it the most. When he had needed the comfort it would have brought him. The reminder that his parents didn't understand true concepts like beauty and love. He could have played every note perfectly and his parents would never have understood the melody. Would still have missed everything the music was trying to say, would have missed the emotions behind each note. They couldn't understand love in its true forms.

Stealing his flute from his parents' house had been when he realized he might have a penchant for this whole crime thing. At the time, he had thought it would be a one time thing. And there had been no real danger, if he had been caught, his parents wouldn't have called the police. They wouldn't have tolerated such an embarrassing scandal.

Hartley followed Digger out to the car. They didn't even really have a plan. Technically they could just walk in and buy the paint. It was only 4:37 pm, the place was still open. But Hartley had his gauntlets on under his hoodie, just in case.

Digger was humming along to the radio. The idiot probably hadn't given this heist any thought. Not that Digger gave anything much thought. What must it be like to have so few thoughts in your head? Hartley had been toying with the idea of using sound waves as a form of mind control recently. It might only work on the most dimwitted of the population.

Digger would make an excellent test subject.

They stopped in the parking lot and Digger started to open his door.

"Shouldn't we have some sort of plan?"

"Run in, pocket a few paints. Leave. Simple enough."

Hartley rolled his eyes.

"Or we could try not to make a scene and just buy them."

"Our faces are everywhere mate. We aren't going to get more than a few feet without someone recognizing us. You really want someone to capture a video on their phone, showing the Rogues just walking in and buying something like a bunch of law abiding citizens? The shame of it."

Hartley sighed deeply. Why did he have to suffer so?

"Or, I can get in there, buy the paint, pay for it, and leave. No one ever knows we were here and Cold doesn't kill us for getting caught."

Digger smirked. It was the most annoying thing about the man. How funny he always found everything. It wasn't the same as Cold's smirk. The one that conveyed how smart he was, and how screwed everyone else was. It was as if Digger found all of this, all of their lives, incredibly amusing.

"All right then. You squirrel on in there and buy the paint all proper. I'll wait here for when it all goes sideways."

Hartley wasn't sure if that meant Digger would come to Hartley's aid, or laugh his ass off as he was carted away. Hartley assumed it was the latter.

Hartley pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, obscuring his face. His gauntlets were still hidden under his sleeves. It would have made more sense to take them off. But that would have meant he would be completely dependent on Digger for protection. Something he had no intention of doing.

He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with the five other customers. He found the brand that Roy used and grabbed as many white and black tubes as he could. He was paying for the paints, thinking he might actually pull this off, when a cop car pulled into the parking lot.

It could be anything. There were a thousand reasons the cop car chose this exact moment to pull into the same lot as two of the city's most notorious criminals. As long as they didn't do anything stupid…

The car with Digger in it screeched out of the parking lot. The cop car quickly followed in pursuit.

Son of a bitch.

The back door of the store suddenly burst open. Several cops bust in, they must have already had the building surrounded. Each of the cops that entered were wearing the reflective shades. They were expecting Roy. They assumed he was the one who entered.

Hartley turned off his hearing aids and pressed a button on his left gauntlet.

He saw the cops walking through the store. No doubt shouting orders to everyone, he saw their lips moving furiously.

There were only a few people in the store. It wouldn't take long for the cops to turn their attention towards the only person with his face obscured. Hartley checked the position of the four cops behind him. Just a few more seconds…

He could see their focus turn to him. Could read their lips in the glass in front of him, telling him not to move. To put his hands in the air.

The left gauntlet vibrated, signaling it was ready.

Hartley raised his hands in the air.

A high pitched frequency erupted from his left arm. The glass shattered all around him. Everyone fell to the floor, clutching their ears. Hartley smirked, he was certain the cops would include earplugs in their Rogue preparedness kits after this.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the money he had intended to use to pay for the paints. He looked around the room for a moment, then pulled out a few more bills. All that glass was going to be expensive to repair. It wasn't the store owner's fault the cops had chosen to try and capture a Rogue here.

Hartley hadn't wanted any trouble in the first place. All this destruction was on the cops.

How the hell was the RTF finding them?

Facial recognition? No, or they would have known it was Hartley in the store and not Roy.

He was going to have to rerun some diagnostics when he got back to the safe house.

Speaking of which…

Digger pulled the old beaten up car back into the lot, screeching the tires as he came to an abrupt halt. Hartley ran outside and quickly got into the car.

He was about to make some remark about Digger getting them killed, when the mercenary grabbed the back of Hartley's neck and pulled his head down. A bullet embedded itself in the headrest behind him.

Digger hit the gas and they pulled out of the parking lot. Hartley tentatively brought his head back up.

The RTF, at least the ones that weren't going to be heading to the hospital with shattered eardrums, were trying to follow them. Hartley could just make out the boomerangs sticking out of their tires.

"Not for nothing, but that was a hell of a lot of fun."

"You're an idiot."

Digger laughed.

"Get the paints at least? Or should we swing by another store? Give it another go?"

Hartley looked closely at Digger's face. The man was serious. He had actually enjoyed that. The man seemed to thrive on the fighting, on the chaos. Hartley understood the need to fight, understood that violence was sometimes the only way to get ones point across. But he didn't revel in the violence the way Digger or Mick or Mardon did. They seemed to truly enjoy the fighting, the adrenaline of almost being killed.

Hartley wasn't sure he ever would.

It was the puzzles that interested him. The challenge.

Hartley pulled the tubes of paint out of his pocket. Stealing had been the only way to help Roy.

This time.

It didn't mean that stealing had to be the only way to get things done.

If the RTF hadn't shown up…

"Oi? You listening to me?"

"I think we can just assume Digger that I am never listening to you, as you have never had a worthwhile thing to say."

"Said Cold just sent me a text message…"

"You shouldn't text and drive."

"…asking why he just saw us on the news. Didn't realize you could sound so pissed through a text message. Didn't even use any emojis."

"The day Leonard Snart uses an emoji in a text is the day the universe collapses in on itself."

"Maybe let me do the talking."

"Seeing as you will simply attempt to pin this entire endeavor on me, I think not."

"You got no faith mate."

"I have plenty of faith in my team, but very little in you."

"Hurtful."

"The truth is rarely…"

Digger slammed on the brakes.

"Harkness, what the hell…"

"Get out of the car."

"Seriously? I insult you and you are going to make me walk…"

"They're tracking the car. We are about to lead them back to the safe house."

Digger pulled open his door and exited the vehicle.

Hartley unbuckled his seat beat and opened his door. He followed quickly behind Digger. Harkness pulled out one of his boomerang, pressed a button on the side of it, then threw it back at the car.

The car exploded.

Hartley stared for a moment, but Digger kept moving quickly towards a sewer drain.

Hartley rolled his eyes. Of course it would be the sewers.

Hartley pulled out his phone and checked all his tracking programs. There was nothing to suggest that they were being followed. But Digger had already disappeared down the manhole. So Hartley sighed and dropped down into the sewer as well.

"What makes you think we were being followed?"

"Gut feeling."

"Ah yes, the most reliable of…"

"Back when I was with ARGUS, we used to pull this gambit all the time. Go after a bloke, guns blazing, make him think we had him dead to rights. Then somehow he slips through our fingers. Bastard thinks he's gotten away lucky. But it's all a part of the plan. Get him to lead us back to his base or hideout or whatever, wait a few hours till he thinks he safe, maybe wait till he's sleeping. Then go in and do what needs done. They wanted us to head back to the safe house, then they would have jumped us all at once when we weren't expecting it."

"I don't have any…"

"More to tactics than just what's in your computers. Black ops have been running since before there was even electricity to power your gadgets."

Hartley still wasn't certain they were being followed, but he was willing to concede that, in this one incredibly rare instance, perhaps Digger knew slightly more than he did.

They used the sewers to travel in several loops, before finally resurfacing. They waited in a nearby hotel for several hours. Waiting to see if the cops would make a move.

Eventually they made it back to the safe house.

Cold was not pleased.

After what could only be described as an hour of the most level and monotone yelling, Hartley finally found his way back towards Roy's room.

The artist was sitting on his bed, his back against the wall. He seemed to be focused on breathing. Roy's eyes cracked open slightly as Hartley walked into the room.

Roy looked pale. Almost a day later and the man was still reacting to the situation at the apartments. Hartley could only imagine what Roy had seen. Not that he wanted to.

Hartley reached into his pockets and pulled out the tubes of paint. He sat them on the bed next to Roy.

Roy stared at them, he reached a tentative hand towards them.

"You and Digger almost got yourselves caught, almost lead the Flash, ARGUS, and the RTF back to the safe house, thereby getting us all arrested or killed, just to buy me paint."

"Believe me, next time I won't take Harkness. How that man has survived this long is beyond me."

Roy wrapped a hand around one of the tubes. Hartley could almost see the tension in Roy start to unravel.

"Thank you."

"I owed you."

Roy nodded, he stood up off the bed and walked over to his canvas. The artist began to paint.

Hartley knew Roy wouldn't say anything else, that the man would be too immersed in his painting to pay anything else much mind. So Hartley pulled out his laptop and sat on Roy's now vacated spot on the bed.

There was something soothing in watching Roy paint. Hartley couldn't really describe it. Maybe it was the familiarity of it, of the sound of the brush on the canvas.

Hartley opened up every program he had, double and triple checking for anything he could find.

It was several hours later before he found it. A single line of code hidden under layers and layers of encryptions. Somehow Cisco had managed to hide it, causing Hartley's programs to pause for 0.0045 of a second every six hours. Enough time for Cisco's insidious little Trojan horse to bury itself deeper into Hartley's pristine work. If Hartley hadn't caught it now, it could have caused serious problems.

Hartley scrubbed everything. He would have to start over in the morning. Tell Cold that some of their networks were compromised, that they would have to be careful over the next few days until he got everything up and running again. Maybe use some of their old drop sites for supplies for awhile.

Hartley closed his laptop. Roy was still painting.

Hartley stood up and left the room. He walked into his own room and laid down on the bed.

Though he didn't like to admit it, occasionally Cisco would provide some minor challenge that Hartley would have to overcome. Cold had once warned Hartley about being too cocky when it came to the STAR Labs kids.

Hartley wondered what it would have been like if he had stayed there sometimes. If he hadn't challenged Dr. Wells on the particle accelerator. Would he be working there still, helping out Cisco and Caitlin with the Flash?

Would he be working to take down the Rogues?

It definitely would have been a challenge to go up against Cold and the others.

Hartley smirked. He would never have been able to stand being around Cisco and Caitlin for so long. They were even more annoying than Digger. The first time Cold came along, Hartley probably would have joined the criminal anyway. Sure there were things here he didn't agree with, and being wanted by the cops hadn't been on his 10 year plan. But…

The Rogues is where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how this chapter turned into the Captain Boomerang/Pied Piper Adventure Hour, but that's what happened.


	3. Chapter 3

There were moments when Roy forgot he was supposed to be a dangerous criminal.

Not just when he was painting. When he was painting he was lost in a moment where his past didn't matter. All that mattered was the canvas.

No, there were other more innocuous times. Moments where he would be walking down the street and would nod to a stranger that waved at him. Or would smile politely at the cashier at that coffee shop downtown. He would walk down the street and wonder why he had instinctually turned his face away from a security camera.

Small inconsequential things.

Moments of time that didn't matter in the long run.

It was strange to think there were still people in this town that didn't recognize him. Or any of them, really. People who would glance up and not see a criminal, just another person going about their day. Nothing to stare at, no reason to linger.

It became easy to forget yourself then. To forget that your face was seen by millions of people each day. Forget that anyone could be looking for you. Anyone could recognize you. It was so easy to forget to be vigilant.

Unless you found yourself surrounded by a group of self-righteous citizens trying to brain you with a baseball bat. And to think they had looked like perfectly ordinary people. Blazers, dress pants, a few were wearing jeans with polo shirts. Roy had barely given them a second glance as he and Shawna had headed for the old drop site. An old storage facility they hadn't used in months.

There shouldn't have been any reason to worry. No reason to suspect anyone had found this place. That anyone would even think to monitor it.

Hell, Roy was certain that Cold had only sent Roy out on this trip to get him out of the safe house and away from the painting he had been working on nonstop for the past few weeks.

Roy glanced over at Shawna, she had a death grip on his left arm. Their exits were completely blocked as far as he could tell. These citizens had been prepared, had planned this somehow.

Hartley's scanners followed all the chatter with their main antagonists, but didn't track personal communications between private citizens. Roy would have to bring up this oversight the next time he saw Hartley.

And there would be a next time, there was no way Roy and Shawna were going to die at the hands of a bunch of housewives and stock traders turned wannabe vigilantes.

Even if neither of them could use their powers at the moment.

Which was unfortunate.

Roy really wanted to make these people beat each other to death.

Both Roy and Shawna's powers relied heavily on sight. Shawna had to be able to see where she was teleporting. Roy didn't technically have to see his victim's eyes for his powers to work. But without his sight, he had no way of knowing if he was staring at someone's face or a street sign.

The daytime vigilantes had set up some sort of homemade mace bomb that was triggered when Shawna opened up the door of their drop site. Shawna had taken a direct hit. The mace going into both of her eyes. She was completely blinded, tears were streaming down her face. She had stopped coughing though, so Roy was going to take that as a positive.

Roy had managed to grab her and pull her away from the device. But he had still gotten a good dose of it in his eyes as well. He could only make out shapes of what he assumed were people near him.

He had tried to guide them away. Tried to remember exactly where the exits were, where the car was, where a place they could hide would be. He had run them straight into a dead end. A chain link fence blocked their path. If there were any holes in it, Roy couldn't find them in his current state.

And he had thought his vision had been bad before.

Cold had warned them to be careful. To be extra cautious. That there was something sinister lurking beneath Central City's shining exterior.

As if Roy wasn't acutely aware of this fact.

But it was more than just…what he had seen.

There was something spreading through the city. Some sort of paranoia.

Some new kind of fear.

Roy had seen the news reports, had watched each night as more and more people began to protest.

Protesting STAR Labs being turned into a prison.

Protesting the police not doing enough to protect the city.

Protesting the very existence of metahumans.

That was the one that galled Roy the most. The way the "good" people of Central City seemed so viciously against metas.

Saying they were unnatural. They should all be locked up.

Isolated.

Quarantined.

The more emboldened of them had even suggested extermination. Metas were against God's will and all that.

Which was rather dickish.

Metas had no control over what the particle accelerator did to them. They were completely blameless.

Ok, sure. So most metas chose to use their powers to break the law, or to settle old scores. And maybe Roy could have used his new found gifts for a more noble purpose. Could have followed in the footsteps of the Flash and used his powers to help people.

To save the people of Central City. To be a protector, to become a hero.

But that sounded exhausting.

Constantly running towards every problem. Being yanked out of bed in the middle of the night because some asshole fell asleep and left a candle burning and now an apartment complex was on fire. What was Roy supposed to do? Put the fire out with his eyes?

Was he supposed to step into the middle of a gunfight and try and calm everyone down? That was something he tried to avoid. He had no intention of getting shot or killed trying to help people who would protest his very existence.

Just because the Rogues weren't heroes, just because they used their powers for their own needs, didn't mean they deserved to get beaten to death in some back alley by a bunch of white collar assholes.

Speaking of said assholes.

The group had yet to attack. Yet to come at Roy and Shawna with anything resembling rage.

They weren't even spouting off any religious texts or annoyingly catchy chants. No "Death to Metas" or "God Hates Metas". Roy found that unprofessional. If you are going to kill two people for just being born, you should at least have the fanaticism to back it up. Not spend the vast majority of your time arguing like a bunch of drunken frat boys.

"It was your plan Roger…"

"Jesus, don't say my name."

"What does it matter if we are just going to kill them anyway?"

"They're criminals Roger, they deserve it. They don't deserve to have magic powers…"

Magic powers.

Roy really wished his eyes weren't burning right now. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

They were going to be killed by the dumbest people alive.

"God Roy, this is embarrassing. The others are never going to let us live this down. Killed by a bunch of PTA members on their lunch breaks."

Shawna still couldn't see, her eyes still watering, her hand still fiercely gripping Roy's arm. But she was still very much in this fight. Roy had noticed her bend down towards her boot when they had hit the chain link fence blocking their escape.

Roy smirked.

"I'm sure the…" Roy turned towards the still bickering people. "Do you guys have a name?"

"What?" The four men and three women, at least Roy assumed their genders, at the moment all he could see were fuzzy blobs, turned towards him. It was the leader, Roger, who had spoken. Roy again assumed. The once that sounded the most annoying was going to be Roger.

"A name. You know, like the Anti-Meta League or something."

"We don't have a name. We aren't…It's not…"

Shawna threw her hands up in the air.

"Oh come on. Seriously? We are going to be tortured and gutted by a bunch of nameless nobodies? They are going to revoke our membership to the Evil Villains League of Evil after this. No more sweet fruit baskets for us."

One of the amorphous blobs stepped forward.

"We aren't going to torture you. We…

"Are just going to kill us?"

"…we are going to turn you into the police. That is what we will do. Yes. That…that makes sense. Turn them over to the police."

"That wasn't the plan Alice."

"Really Roger? So you're going to man up for the first time in your life and actually go through with something you said?"

Damn.

Shawna was right. This was embarrassing.

Roy put his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"It sounds like you guys have some issues to work out. Why don't you handcuff and take us to the cops? No reason for anyone to die if they don't have to."

Roy wasn't sure if his words were getting through. He couldn't make out any facial expressions. The blobs were starting to almost become human shaped. Another few minutes and he might be able to see their eyes.

They waited a few moments, Roy could hear what sounded like angry whispering nearby. Finally the blobs moved towards them again.

"All right. Hands up."

Roy felt Shawna slip something into his back pocket. Two figures walked towards them. Shawna hesitantly let go of Roy's arm. He was certain he was going to have a bruise there tomorrow.

The figures came closer. One of them grabbed Roy's wrist. The man, or woman, who grabbed him was much taller than Roy. No doubt, they thought it wouldn't be any trouble to capture Shawna and Roy. They weren't the most physically imposing of the Rogues.

There were moments when Roy forgot he was a criminal.

This was not one of them.

Roy twisted his arm backwards, catching his potential captor off guard. Lisa had taught him this move. How to get the upper hand on an opponent who underestimated you. Who thought you were helpless. As he moved, he reached into his back pocket and pulled the knife that Shawna had placed there. Roy didn't know where Shawna had bought her combat boots that also had a hidden place to store weapons, but he would buy her another pair after this.

He'd have to ask her if they made them in men's sizes.

He moved quickly, pulling his assailant's arm behind his back and up at a painful angle. He could attest to the painful part. Lisa had made damn sure Roy knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of this move. So he would know exactly what direction he could pull and when a muscle would start to tear.

Roy used his other hand to put the knife to the man's throat.

"I think that's enough of that, don't you? Now, we are going to…"

Roy heard a noise to his left and turned, keeping his hostage in front of him like a shield.

"Let him go or I kill her!"

One of the male shaped humanoid forms had his arm around Shawna's throat. Squeezing off the female thief's air supply.

It looked like it was going to be a stand off.

Except…it didn't have to be.

While this group had managed to find one of the Rogues' old drop sites, it didn't seem like they were especially prepared. Or that they were willing to follow through on their threat to kill them. It was incredibly likely that this was the first time any of them had even been this close to a criminal before.

Always use your enemies' assumptions to your advantage. What they think of you, and what you really are, will be two different things. Always use that.

Roy was going to thank Lisa later for those lessons. Even if she had had him pinned to the ground with her knee in his back when she had said it.

"So? Kill her."

"Roy?"

Roy knew Shawna's history with men abandoning her when she needed them most. Knew how deeply that fear resonated within her. That the Rogues would abandon her one day as well. That she would be alone again. He just hoped she didn't buy into his deception. Hoped she would know to play along. Would know him better than that by now.

"I'm not going to risk my freedom or my life, for her. You kill her, I still kill your friend. Who I'm guessing, means more to you, than she does to me. You're little mace bombs are starting to wear off. So by all means, lets continue this little power play. Every moment you waste threatening someone who means nothing to me, the closer I get to having my full powers back. And and the second that I do, I am going to make you rip each other's throats out."

Roy hoped he had been convincing enough. Digger had told Roy to keep his voice monotone and level. Make it sound like it was just another day at the office. That threatening to torture and kill someone was completely commonplace for you.

Roy was starting to be able to make out facial expressions. He deliberately didn't look at Shawna's face, instead focusing on the man holding her throat.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several of the fuzzy human blobs run away. He hadn't even needed to use his powers, the cowards had just turned and ran. Their so-called leader, Roger was still there, and the man holding Shawna. So that made it three versus two now, which were much better odds. Roger was pulling something out of his pocket, a gun most likely.

Roy put the blade harder against his hostage's skin. He could see rivets of blood start to run down the man's neck.

The man holding Shawna suddenly pushed her to the ground. He turned and ran as quickly as he could down the alley. Roy wanted to check on Shawna, wanted to make sure she was alright. But he had to continue the charade. Make this Roger idiot think that Roy was a cold-blooded murderer.

"Let him go or I'll…"

Roy's vision began to focus. He could see the object in Roger's hand. It wasn't a gun.

It was a phone.

That piece of shit was going to call the cops on them. This Roger had gone through all this trouble to find an old drop site, to set up a mace bomb, to stake out the place and watch it carefully, to convince a group of people to kill. And he wasn't even going to go through with it?

Not that Roy wanted the man to have a gun, but it was the principle of the thing.

Roy still didn't have perfectly clear vision, but it was going to have to be good enough. He tried to focus on where he knew Roger's eyes were. He activated his powers, trying to hit Roger with a strong dose of fear.

Roger started screaming.

Jesus that was loud.

Roy released the man from his power. Trying to stop that ridiculous noise before every cop in the city came running. But Roger just continued to scream. An unholy sound that somehow seemed to be getting louder by the second.

Damn it.

That was going to attract a lot of unwanted attention.

He used the handle of his knife to knock his hostage out. He turned to take care of the still screaming Roger, but Shawna beat him to it.

She knocked the man out with one punch.

"Asshole!"

She proceeded to kick the man several times. She seemed to be very focused on getting her aggression out. Roy tried to see if there was anyone else around them, to see if any onlookers had called the cops.

"Shawna…"

She got in several more kicks to the man's groin, then turned abruptly towards Roy.

"We need to get out of here. Someone has to have called the cops by now."

She reached out a hand. She was still mostly blinded. She must have been able to find Roger solely from the man's screaming. Roy took her hand and guided her quickly towards the chain link fence. With his vision slowly returning he could now find the padlock that held the fence closed. He picked the lock and then guided them through, locking it back behind them.

He could hear police sirens in the distance. He couldn't drive and Shawna couldn't teleport them out of here. They needed to hide out until their vision returned.

Roy saw what looked like a movie theater a little bit away. He pulled his shades out of his jacket and put them on Shawna.

"Roy, what…"

"There is a movie theater, we can hide out in there until our vision is back. I have to assume your eyes are still red and tearing. We just need to…"

"Geez Roy, if you wanted to go on a date, all you had to do was ask."

Roy paused. He might not be able to read people on the best of days, but even without being able to see it clearly, he knew Shawna was smiling.

"Funny."

Shawna moved her hand so that their arms were linked together. Her side pressed directly against his.

"Come on baby, let's see a movie."

"Shawna…" Roy moved to untangle their arms, but Shawna tightened her grip.

"We have to sell it don't we? Don't want people to be suspicious."

She was definitely smiling, he could see it now that they were closer together. Roy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"There's an auto shop we could hide in a few blocks from here."

"Nope! Movie theater. The cops will check anywhere abandoned first, by the time they get to the theater our vision will be back. Or they will assume we have already left the area. Plus, I could really go for a huge tub of popcorn slathered in butter right now."

Roy resigned himself to the ridiculous closeness that Shawna was subjecting him to. He was glad it wasn't Lisa with him, she would have insisted on being much closer to sell the con. Probably would have forced him to make out with her in the lobby.

Roy walked up to the ticket counter, Shawna glued to his side.

"Two tickets for…"

Shit. He couldn't read the names of the movies or the times. He didn't have any idea about what movies were even popular now. He should have thought this through, should have at least asked Shawna what movies were playing.

"You don't have to stall baby. There is no backing out now. He really doesn't want to see the new Pixar movie. Which is why, I'm pretty sure he didn't even check the times before we left the house. Did you honey bear?"

He was simultaneously thankful for Shawna's intervention and annoyed at her use of endearing terms.

"I did not."

The girl at the counter barely looked up at them.

"There's a showing that just started five minutes ago, should still be on previews."

"We will take two of those."

Roy reached into his wallet and pulled out a bill that he hoped was a twenty. It could have been a hundred for all he knew. The girl handed him change and they headed inside.

Shawna got her large popcorn, some skittles, and a soda for them "to share".

She was enjoying this far too much.

Roy tried to scan the room when they entered the darkened theater. Tried to see if there was anyone else in there with them.

"I think we are alone…" Roy whispered.

"Romantic." She turned towards the empty room. "Anyone else in here? Cause me and my boyfriend are going to be making out or making fun of this piece of shit movie the entire time."

Silence greeted her proclamation.

"Subtle."

"Effective though. Come one, I really have wanted to see this one."

After half an hour of mostly just bright images and humanoid shapes on the screen, Roy was able to see clearly again.

"How is your vision?" He whispered. He didn't know why he whispered, they were alone. It was just what you were supposed to do in a movie theater.

"Everything's still a little fuzzy. But I can tell the difference between a human and a wall now, so that's a good step. We should be able to bail once the movie is over."

Roy nodded. He opened his mouth then hesitated.

Cold had said to wait until you were back at the safe house to discuss any issues. Never start a conversation that could lead to a fight when you were still in danger.

If Shawna hated Roy for what he had said earlier, he should wait and find out when they were safe. Still…

"About what I said earlier…"

"It's fine Roy."

Roy sighed. He wasn't any good at this sort of thing. But they weren't supposed to let things fester like they did last time.

"You know I didn't…"

"Roy, seriously, it's fine. I mean it. You said what you had to say. I didn't think for one second that you were going to leave me alone with those d-bags. Or that you would let them kill me just to save yourself."

"Oh. Good."

"We're Rogues Roy. And…and I think we all get what that means now. Right?"

"I think so."

"Good. So there's nothing to talk about. Now hush, I want to see how this movie ends."

Roy subjected himself to the agony of watching the entirety of a Pixar movie before Shawna said she was good to teleport. Roy suspected that her vision had returned earlier but that she had wanted to just watch the movie.

When his vision had returned, he had texted Cold to let him know what had happened. Although he had been reluctant to do so. Not because he was worried about what Cold would say, but because he hated it when people texted in a movie theater.

Shawna teleported them back to the safe house. Roy had headed to his room, intending to take a shower to remove the smell of mace from his hair. But then he had seen the painting.

He didn't know why it stopped him so suddenly. He knew it was there. He knew the second he stepped foot into the room, it would be exactly where he left it, exactly how he left it. It wasn't the image itself that surprised him. He wasn't startled by the scene he had spent the past few weeks painting.

But for some reason it stopped him cold.

He stared at it as if he had never seen it before.

Perhaps it was because today had been the first day he hadn't stared at it obsessively for hours on end. The first day where the thought of it hadn't crossed his mind while he was away. Where hours had passed without it haunting him, calling to him, begging him to finish it. To see the details he had missed, to change the things that were wrong.

He raised a hand to the painting, grazing over a brush stroke in the lower left hand corner.

Hm.

He couldn't remember when he did that.

How strange.

He could still see the flaws. The incongruities between what was in his memory, what lingered in his mind, and what was on the canvas. The things that needed to be corrected before he would be free of them.

But now, it was slightly distant.

The violence of it.

The viciousness.

The raw emotion was still all there and yet now…

He smiled slightly. The painting was almost done.

He was almost free of the sleepless nights. Almost free of the paranoia that had plagued him. Of the terror that had gripped him so tightly and refused to let go.

Soon, it would all be out on the canvas.

 

* * *

 

There was this girl in this bar in some piece of shit town in…Germany? Austria? Eh, something like that. Somewhere on the other side of the world. Digger couldn't remember exactly. Not like it mattered really, all the places started to run together after awhile. Kill a couple of people here, a few dozen or so there, what did the location matter?

Of course, neither did the people really. Just targets. Names in a file. First with the army, then with ARGUS. After awhile he stopped paying attention to the names or the reasons.

Didn't matter in the end.

Just went where he was told and did what he was told.

The simplicity of it all had always been the appeal. Not like he was the one who started some civil war, he was just a tool sent to make sure things went the right way.

He had been around long enough to see the people he had once been sent in to save, become the people he was sent to kill.

He could almost remember the face of that kid in Iraq. Some sixteen-year-old Digger had pulled out of some muddy river. Boy would have drowned if Digger hadn't saved him. He remembered how grateful the kid had been. Kept thanking him, kept promising that he wouldn't forget what Digger had done.

Which was true he supposed.

Kid had remembered him.

Three years later, when Digger had been sent back into deal with some insurgents, he had seen that kid again. Had barely recognized the boy, probably wouldn't have if the kid hadn't had that weird birthmark above his eye.

The kid had been with the insurgents this time. Just bad luck really. Opposite sides this time. Digger was sure the kid had thought of himself as some kind of freedom fighter. Looking to defend his home against outside invaders. Maybe the kid had been. Maybe the kid had been some kind of local hero. Digger didn't really remember who he was working for that time. Whose orders he had been under, which side he was supposed to be on.

Middle of a damn firefight and the kid had recognized Digger. Boy had the drop on him, all he had to do was pull the trigger. Then Digger would have died in some no name village halfway across the world. Probably would have still gotten a military funeral at that point.

But the kid had hesitated.

Digger hadn't.

He put a bullet between the boy's eyes.

Kid could have walked away, could still be out there fighting. Keeping his family safe and all that. Except he had decided to honor a promise made to a man he didn't know, for something that had happened years ago.

Digger wasn't one of those people that paid attention to the poetics of it all. Old members of his squad used to talk about the way people would look as they were dying. The look in their eyes. The surprise, the shock of it all when they realized it was their time to go.

Digger had just pulled the trigger and moved on to the next target.

Kid had just been another enemy. Another person who got wrapped up in the idea that if someone saved your life once, they would do it again.

Or that you owed them for it.

Digger didn't see it that way.

Someone saves your life, that's on them. That's their choice. Just as it's their choice to kill you if they have to. There was no connection. No bond that formed in life and death situations. If that was true then Digger would have a lot more people who owed him. A lot more favors he could cash in.

That was just the way the game worked. The people you needed at that moment, weren't always going to be the people you wanted around.

Alliances shift. Politicians come and go. Money changes hands and it's all over but the crying.

Sides never really mattered all that much in the end.

Which is why he hadn't understood why ARGUS had gotten so uppity about him making a little money selling information. The people he sold the information to had been their allies not too long ago. He was sure they would be their allies again in a couple of years. No use getting so bent out of shape about a couple of names here, a few battalion movement patterns there.

Most of the people he sold out were dead by now anyway. Not like there was a long life span for people in his line of work. Everyone knew what they were getting into.

You didn't join black op, you didn't become a criminal, because you thought highly of things like honesty.

Or loyalty.

What did any of it matter in the grand scheme of things?

What had made him think of all that?

Oh, right.

The girl.

She had been something special. He had wanted her the moment he saw her. Legs like you wouldn't believe. He and the boys had been blowing off steam, celebrating a job well done or mourning a fallen comrade, Digger couldn't quite recall. Either way, the liquor was flowing that night.

And there she was, the only pretty thing he had seen in a couple months.

He remembered walking up to her. Using his best lines. He had been persistent. Been as charming as he had ever been.

Nothing.

She shot him down at every turn.

They were supposed to leave in the morning, head back to base. He only had a limited window to change this girl's mind. Nothing he tried worked. Even tried getting her drunk, but the girl had a better tolerance than even he had.

Which had been a huge turn on.

The next morning, they found the Jeeps sabotaged. Wires cut, pieces of the engines removed. Would take at least two days to fix.

What a tragedy. Who would do such a thing?

He was able to take his time now. Buy her some pretty trinkets, some more alcohol. Never let up, that's the trick with a girl like that. He was pretty sure there were some girls who only said yes out of annoyance.

But that still counted a yes in Digger's book.

He finally got a yes out of her on the second day. She had been worth the effort. He might not remember her name, but he remembered every moment of that night.

Names and faces might come and go, but he never forgot a great pair of tits.

He had been lying in bed with her, and she had said something about wishing he didn't have to leave so soon. That she wanted him to stay in town for a little longer.

So they could have more fun.

Wasn't the first girl to ever say that to him after a night of drunken debauchery.

It was the first time the thought ever really crossed his mind. It was just a fraction of a moment, a few fleeting seconds of a sex sated mind. But it lingered there for a bit too long. Started to form up.

Started to be more than just a thought. Started to be an idea.

He could pay off the boys to leave him behind, or he could fake his own death. Wouldn't be to hard. He knew plenty of people who could make it look legit.

Just stop for a little while. Stop moving, stop killing. Stop fighting.

Just stop and breathe for a bit.

He had scoffed and stood up immediately.

What a ridiculous idea. What was he going to do? Work in a bar for the rest of his life, chatting with the locals about their problems? Get old and fat and talk about the good old days? How he had once been somebody people feared but was just a sad old man now?

He had put on his pants and walked out of the room, he didn't look back. Just left her there on the bed.

Never saw her or that town again. Never gave her another thought.

Which was why it was so odd for that memory to come to him now.

Wasn't like there were even any decent women around. Except Shawna, and she wouldn't even look at him most days. Didn't know what her problem was. He was a perfect gentleman most of the time. Not his fault she got so offended, couldn't take a compliment in the spirit it was intended.

This bar wasn't anything like the one he had met…Melanie? Something like that, definitely started with an M. Or a N. The owner here looked the other way when the Rogues dropped by. Which was all they really needed in a bar anyway. No cops and plenty of booze.

The Snarts, Rathaway, and Roy had stayed back at the safe house. So he, Mick, Mardon, and Shawna and gone out. Was a good thing too, the safe house had been getting a bit tight lately. Everybody all jacked up and nowhere to go. No one to take down til they got some things planned out. Digger didn't mind working for Cold, the man's plans were top notch. But he did miss being able to do whatever he wanted, to just be able to run into a fight and see where the cards fell.

Course after Shawna and Roy had managed to almost get themselves killed on a simple run, Digger was surprised Cold had let them go out at all. Their stalwart leader was starting to realize that keeping them all hidden wasn't going to work for much longer.

Even he couldn't plan for every inevitability.

Cold's orders for tonight had been simple. Go out. Get drunk. Don't burn down the city. Mick had given a nasty look at that last one, but he made a beeline for the car all the same.

Shawna was passed out on the bar. Girl needed to learn to handle her liquor better. Mick was sitting next to her, still drinking. Still keeping an eye on her. Digger wasn't fooled by the pyromaniac's act. Mick worried about the Rogues as much as Cold did.

Mardon was sitting in the booth with Digger. Man was still nursing his second beer. Which was a shame. Digger had been hoping for a show tonight. A little lightening to spice things up a bit. Roy had warned Digger that Mardon could get a bit mopey when he drank. Something about a dead little brother. You'd think the guy would be over it by now.

But that didn't look like what was happening here. Just seemed to be staring at his drink. Thinking too much on some nonsense Digger was certain. Which was boring as hell. Digger wanted a little excitement. Hell Roy had almost gotten to stab someone in the neck today and the artist didn't even like fighting all that much.

Was damn unfair is what it was.

Maybe he could convince Mick to set a small building on fire. Cold had only said not to burn down the whole city. Didn't say they couldn't start a little trouble. Anything would be good at this point. Digger had never been one for sitting still. Gotten his ass chewed out by several CO's for almost blowing his cover on a mission. Had actually blown it once when he was still with ARGUS. Waller had given him shit for that. One of those looks of hers like she was going to murder your parents for even bringing you into the world.

Jokes on her as both of his parents were already dead.

Always got the feeling she wanted to be rid of him. And that had been before she had the ability to kill him with the flick of a switch.

He had been a little surprised she didn't "accidentally" kill him the minute that bomb went in his neck.

Nah. Emotional decisions weren't really the Wall's thing. She'd never kill someone she could potentially use one day. As much as she hated him, she knew how useful his skills could be.

Speaking of, he was going to get rusty at this rate. Sure, he practiced at the safe house when he had to. Or when he got bored. But it wasn't the same. Needed the moving targets, the adrenaline pumping, bullets flying all around. That was the only time it mattered. Hitting a target a thousand times wouldn't do any good if you got tagged the moment you stepped out into the field.

Mardon was still staring at his beer. Digger sighed, figured he would try to engage the man in a little lively debate. Maybe see where the meta stood on the blonds vs brunettes side of the fence, but Mardon beat him to it.

"How long are you planning on staying in Central?"

Bastard didn't even really look up from his drink. Digger thought on it a second.

"Don't know mate. Figure I'll stay until things die down a bit. Then slip out, find me a nice place somewhere away from the Wall and all this nonsense."

Which was partly true. He would most likely head out when his contacts gave him the all clear. But he wasn't just going to lay low. Become one of those old bastards that slept with one eye open. Constantly waiting for some old sin to come collecting.

Digger Harkness had no plans to die some pathetic old man.

"What about you? Considering moving on to warmer climates? Though you could make anywhere warmer climates couldn't ya?"

Mardon just kept staring at his beer. Well that was rude. Mardon was the one that started the conversation after all. Digger thought the man was taking way too long to answer a simple question.

When was he going to leave Central? They all had to be thinking about it. When was Mardon going to get sick of it all and just…

"Wasn't planning on staying this long."

Digger could understand that. Circumstances being what they were, none of the Rogues had planned on staying in Central as long as they had. What with their sudden incarcerations, their healing injuries, and the heat still breathing down their necks. None of them had much of a choice at the moment. Stick together and stay out of prison. Waller wouldn't give Digger the chance to escape again. Put him back on that island. Maybe leave him there this time.

This was the longest he had stayed in any one place since he was a kid. The itch he felt to fight, to move on, to find another bar, another woman, another town wasn't as strong as it usually was by this point. He blamed it on all the surprises that Central City had to offer.

Gorillas that could read minds, people who could control the weather, a target so fast even he had trouble hitting it.

Place sure as hell wasn't boring.

Most of the time.

Still, he should reach out to his contacts. See where he stood. See how long it would be before he could hop a plane to some random corner of the world.

Should have done that sooner. But Cold's orders…

Huh. Guess he could have just gone against orders and done it anyway. Which is what he normally did when he didn't agree with what he was told. Or he didn't feel like listening to the person who gave the order.

But then, he had been recovering. A bullet to the side wasn't something to just shrug off. Hadn't been up to his normal physical condition.

That was it.

That was all it was.

His contacts were just as likely to turn him back over to ARGUS as they were to help him. Needed to make sure he was up to his full strength when he went to meet with them. Couldn't risk getting double-crossed.

Maybe he would take Lisa with him when he went. A little back up, a little extra protection, never hurt. That girl that was always itching for a fight. Which Digger wholeheartedly appreciated about her.

"Do you ever think about staying?"

Digger looked at Mardon. Not sure he had heard the man right.

"What? Here? And rob banks with you lot for the rest of my life? Sorry mate, but I don't usually plan my life that far in advance."

Mardon downed his beer in one drink.

"Me either."

Mardon abruptly stood up and walked over to the bar. He grabbed Shawna and slung her over his shoulder and headed for the door. Mick didn't even glance at the pair. Just continued to drink.

Digger sat at the booth alone, a frown slowly spreading across his face. What had that been about? Stay here? In the only city in the world with a superhero that could actually take them down?

What was Mardon playing at?

If they were smart, they would pack up and head to some other city. One without any super-speeding meddlers.

Any other city in the world and no one would be able to stand against them. The Rogues could carve out their own place, with their own rules.

Which…would also get boring after a bit. A fight is no fun if it's one sided. No point if there isn't a little danger. If your enemy isn't someone you don't know if you can beat.

The memory of that girl on the other side of the world floated into his mind again.

Staying just wasn't what he did.

Wasn't any point to it even. Everything changed.

What was spy work one day, was treason the next.

Allies or enemies, eventually the two sides would get switched. Eventually it all got mixed around. Everyone was just waiting for someone to come along with a better offer.

Digger stood up and headed for the door. Mick got off of his stool and followed him out. Digger took a deep breath of the cold air. He liked the cold weather, liked the feeling of snow on the horizon. He'd had enough of the sand and the heat.

He could feel Mick's presence behind his left shoulder. Could feel the warmth that radiated off the man. Like a bloody furnace that one.

He could tell which of the Rogues was behind him without having to think on it anymore. Everyone had a different smell, a different sound to their steps, a different presence.

It was strange how familiar it had all become to him.

Digger shook his head.

But there was no point in staying in one place.

He should really reach out to his contact soon. See if Waller was still keeping an eye out for him. See if he could make it out of the country without too much fuss. See where he stood in the world outside of Central City.

Before he stayed on too long.

Before things went the way they always did.


	4. Chapter 4

His hair was wet. Roy found that particularly annoying. Especially since it was so cold. He tried to move his head, tried to look around, but his cheek only seemed to scratch against the ground for a moment. His body remained frustratingly immobile. His eyes refused to open.

The floor was wet too. Maybe that was why he was so cold. Had Mardon gotten drunk and caused it to rain in the safe house again? Luckily all of Roy's paintings were now stored elsewhere or he would be…

Wait.

He hadn't been at the safe house. He had…he had been somewhere….

Roy tried to move his head again, this time trying to put a little more effort into getting his face off of the wet ground.

Nothing.

He tried to move his arms, trying to pull them in closer to his body. God, it was so cold. Maybe Snart's gun had accidentally gone off, the man was always tinkering with it. Maybe he had triggered some failsafe that had frozen everything. Were they all stuck to the ground? Frozen like statues, waiting for a little warmth to seep in and free them. Was the floor starting to melt around him?

No, that didn't seem right either. It…it had been cold recently, winter was just starting to set it. The news had said it might start snowing in the next couple weeks, probably in for a bad winter. They were predicting heavy snow…which was completely unimportant.

Where was he? Why did he ache so badly?

Why couldn't he think straight?

He felt like he was forgetting something. Something…something important. He succeeded in bringing his arms close to his chest. The closer proximity did nothing to improve the numbness of his extremities. His clothes were completely wet as well. It didn't feel like they were frozen to his skin, but he could barely feel anything so what did he know.

Where the hell was he?

He put all of his effort into opening his eyes.

There was barely any light, although…it looked like he was…in a sewer? How did he get down here?

Roy turned his head the opposite way, and finally noticed that he wasn't alone. He could make out the outline of another person lying not too far from him. Roy couldn't seem to make his eyes focus. The person was little more than a blob of shadow against the lighter darkness. Had he gotten mace in his eyes again? Did some other group attack him?

"…h…."

Roy started coughing, a hacking sound that caused his entire chest to start burning. Which was a bit unfair, as it didn't actually do anything to warm him up. After a few minutes, Roy was able to get his breathing back under control.

He…he couldn't just lay here. He had to move. He would freeze to death if he didn't do something. Maybe this other person knew where they were, knew how to get out of here. And if the other person was dead, maybe Roy could steal their clothes for warmth.

Roy used what little energy he had to pull himself closer to the human shaped shadow. Each inch felt like his skin was being dragged across a floor of needles. Finally, he grabbed their shoulder and pulled them towards him. It took Roy a minute to recognize the face.

Jesus, Digger?

Digger's face was almost unrecognizable. His left eye was completely swollen shut, blood was caked on his face and in his hair. The man had been beaten severely. Roy could barely see anything in this light. Couldn't see if the man had any other wounds.

He..he couldn't see Digger's chest moving.

Roy put a hand to Digger's neck.

He didn't feel a pulse.

His hands were too cold. That was it. Roy put his hand to his mouth and breathed on his fingers. Trying to warm them up. That was why he couldn't feel a pulse. Digger couldn't be dead. It was just Roy's fingers were too cold. He would warm them up, and then it would be fine. He tried to rub his hands together. Just warm them up a little and it would be fine.

Roy put his fingers back on the mercenary's neck.

He waited.

And waited.

Finally, he felt a small blip of a heartbeat.

Roy let out a breath. He felt something loosen in his chest.

God.

Digger was alive. The Rogues were still intact. Everything would be alright eventually. As long as the Rogues stayed intact.

Roy tried to catalogue Digger's injuries. Tried to see if there was anything he could do for the unconscious man. It had taken him several minutes to crawl the few feet over to Digger. He doubted he was going to be able to aid the mercenary in any way.

What the hell happened?

Why couldn't he…

Roy heard a sound moving towards them. A loud, lumbering sound. Roy couldn't stand, could barely move his arms. Whatever was coming, Roy didn't think he would be able to fight them off. Roy tried to pull himself protectively in front of Digger, but didn't manage to move more than an inch or two before the light from an access tunnel was suddenly blocked.

Digger had told Roy about a telepathic gorilla. The others had even confirmed it, saying they had all seen it.

But there was a part of Roy that hadn't believed them. A part that had said that a telepathic gorilla wasn't possible. Particle accelerator or no.

A man who can turn into mist? Sure.

A guy who can control the weather? Fine.

But a telepathic gorilla? That is where Roy had drawn the line.

Apparently he owed the others an apology for doubting them.

It was massive. Its frame seemed to block out all the meager light. It lumbered over towards them, noticing that Roy was conscious.

_Awake?_

Roy knew the gorilla hadn't spoken, didn't have the capability to speak. But Roy would have sworn he heard its voice just as clear as the sound of water dripping down around him.

Roy kept his mouth shut, if the damn thing was telepathic then Roy wasn't going to risk another coughing fit on an obvious question. It could see he was awake. The gorilla moved closer. It stared down at Roy and Digger. Again Roy tried to move into a more defensive position, but his limbs were so damn unresponsive.

Could a gorilla look annoyed?

_Don't move. Father wants you alive._

Roy wanted to respond with something sarcastic. Wanted to be one of those people who could be sardonic in the face of any life-threatening situation. Roy was certain that if Digger were conscious, his mouth would be getting them both in even more trouble. Roy started coughing again.

Shit.

The gorilla bent down and looked Roy in the eyes.

Would his powers even work on a gorilla?

Apparently that was the wrong thing to think.

The gorilla grabbed Roy by the shirt and pulled him up until his feet were no longer touching the ground.

Roy could barely breathe he was so terrified.

_Father wants you alive. Use your powers, and I kill the other one._

The creature dropped Roy to the ground, a jarring motion that caused Roy to almost bite through his tongue. There was blood in his mouth. Roy spit it on to the ground.

_Grodd._

The name was loud in Roy's mind.

Apparently it didn't like Roy referring to it as "the gorilla". Grodd stood up to his full height, its eyes boring down onto Roy as a warning. Even if he had been able to move, Roy's fear would have kept him in place.

Grodd glared at Roy for a moment longer then turned and walked back down the tunnel it had come from.

As soon as it was out of sight, Roy released a long breath. Holy shit. He had honestly believed it was going to kill him. Snap him in two and leave him twitching on the floor. The sheer power of that damn thing…

Roy tried to calm himself down. Now wasn't the time to freak out. They were in a damn sewer, being guarded by a telepathic gorilla who wanted them to meet its father. Why would he freak out? Roy took several more calming breaths. He tried to focus on Digger. Tried to remember how the two of them had ended up like this.

Roy had…he had been at the safe house. Painting…or was that yesterday? It might have been earlier, but then…

They were…they had just gone out to get…something. Roy, Digger, and…shit had Shawna been with them? Roy looked around the sewer quickly but didn't see any sign of the other meta. She…she hadn't been in the car with them. She had gotten out, was running in to meet an old mob contact she had from her ex-boyfriend. Digger and Roy were monitoring her from in the car. It was simple, just a meet and greet to see where certain things stood.

And then…

There was a blur. A lapse in Roy's memory. A moment where he knew something happened but his brain couldn't quite recall it. It had happened so quickly. There were glimpses of things, flashes of images and pain. He could hear Digger scream and then…then they were here.

Roy looked up, he could see a grate above them. Maybe, maybe if he could just yell or…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The voice was distorted, it sounded almost mechanical. Roy turned to see a man standing only a few feet away. It looked like the Flash, but Roy knew it wasn't him. There was something…sinister to this one. Plus the kid never disguised his voice. This must be the other one. The Reverse Flash.

The Reverse Flash took a couple of slow steps towards Roy. Roy was just glad he stopped vibrating, the constant movement had been starting to make him nauseous.

"I need your help with something Mr. Bivolo. And once you do this thing for me, I will release you and Mr. Harkness."

"Why…why are you…."

Roy's voice was little more than a whisper. Damn it. He needed to focus.

"Don't strain yourself Roy. Oh, and if you think about escaping or trying to use your powers to escape, know that I will rip Digger Harkness' heart out of his chest and feed it to you. Don't tempt me Roy, I would enjoy killing that particular insect. Honestly, I can't think of anyone who matters less to the time stream than Captain Boomerang."

The time stream?

What the hell was this lunatic talking about? Roy tried to sit up, his arms shaking with the effort.

"The…"

"No, no don't tell me. This is where you say that the other Rogues will come for you. Your ridiculous devotion to one another is…quaint. They don't even know you're missing yet. I checked. You see, while you and your little collection of fools have been running around stealing paltry sums of money, I have been concocting a plan that actually matters. I have been finding ways to truly leave my mark upon history. To get back everything I have lost. I have no intention of ending up as a ridiculous footnote in someone else's story."

God this guy liked the sound of his own voice. Roy just waited and listened, there was little else he could do at this point.

"There have been some changes…some events that even I could not have predicted. The formation of the Rogues happened much sooner in this timeline than in mine. And you my dear man, were never a part of the group. Honestly, I barely remembered you. You were just another two-bit thief with a special gimmick. Caught by the Flash and thrown in prison, where to be honest, I think you died. But now. Now Roy you have the chance to truly be great. To be remembered throughout the centuries. By helping me you will become greater than your tiny little mind could ever imagine."

"You see, I have dedicated my life to destroying the Flash. I tried to go back in time and kill him and it only lead to further…complications. So, you and I are going to have a little fun with the city, we are going to spread a wave of fear that will be unending. Unrelenting. You will help me destroy not only the Flash, but this entire cursed city."

Roy didn't know how he was supposed to contribute anything to this plan in his current state. All he knew was that it sounded bat shit insane.

"I can't beat the Flash, not right now. So until I have all the pieces I need to return to my full power, I am going to make that bastard suffer. I am going to make him watch as I tear this pathetic city of his apart. And you and the rest of the Rogues are going to help me do that. You are going to help me build a monument to the power of fear."

"You got the Rogues locked up…"

"Yes, originally I thought removing you from the equation was the best choice. But now that I have seen how effective your team can be against the Flash, I have changed my strategy. I'm sure…Mr. Snart will agree. Honestly, Grodd was just a little cranky, and Mr. Harkness was being particularly irritating. There's no reason that we can't all work together."

Not likely.

They may be a group of selfish thieves and assholes, but they didn't take part in full-scale slaughter like this idiot was proposing. Kill half the city, just to punish one person? That was insane.

"And if Leonard doesn't agree, well then I will just kill off each member of the Rogues one by one. Starting with that lovely sister of his."

This arrogant prick really thought he had it all figured out. Didn't he realize that the Rogues specialized in taking down speedsters? Any strategies they had for taking down the Flash could easily be applied to him. How did he not see his own weakness?

Guy was such a megalomaniac, he probably thought he didn't have any weaknesses.

"Now Roy, we have had such a lovely chat. And I would hate for this to turn unpleasant. So, I'm going to let you rest for a little bit. Think about what I've said. I'll be back in a few hours and then you and I are going to go on a little errand."

The Reverse Flash was gone just as quickly as he had come, leaving Roy alone in the sewer with Digger again. A few hours? Roy didn't think he would make it a few hours before he was too cold to do anything. That was probably the bastard's plan, make it so Roy was too weak to fight back, too weak to attempt to escape once they were out of the sewer and…and Roy would have no choice but to go along with this psycho's plan.

Roy tried to muster as much strength as he could. He had to at least get them off of the wet ground. There was an area to Roy's left that looked drier, a few cardboard boxes were laid out. Roy had no way of knowing where Grodd had wandered off to, but he had to do something.

Roy grabbed Digger's collar and tried to pull the unconscious man. Roy couldn't say how long it took to move the two of them over to the semi-dryness of the flattened boxes, but it was pure agony for every single moment of it.

By the time it was over, Roy was breathing harder than he ever had in his life. His lungs were surely going to bust out of his chest at any moment. Roy leaned against the wall, Digger was half sprawled over Roy's legs.

What the hell had they ever done to the Reverse Flash to warrant this? Sure, there were other people in Central who would have justifiable beef with the Rogues, but this guy…they had never even crossed paths with him before. And yet now they were somehow integral to his master plan. Roy didn't know where the Reverse Flash was going to take him, didn't know how he intended to use Roy for his own purposes. But he wasn't about to do nothing.

There had to be a way out. A way to get around a telepathic gorilla and a speedster with a grudge, all while dragging a completely unconscious man through a dark and freezing sewer. Roy snorted.

He was so screwed.

Roy did a quick search of his pockets, then of Diggers. No sign of their cellphones anywhere. No possible way to contact the others.

Digger moaned slightly.

"Digger? Can you hear me?"

"…en….."

Digger's voice was little more than an exhalation of air with a slight accent. Roy had no way of knowing what Digger had said. The man hadn't opened his eyes, had barely moved his mouth. It could have been anything, a name, a question, or a jumble of letters spewed from an addled mind. It had almost sounded like he had said "when" but there was no way to know for sure.

Digger didn't stir again.

Roy leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He couldn't see any way of escape here. No way to…

A slight gust of wind and Roy was gripping Digger's shirt. Trying to protect his unconscious teammate anyway he could.

"Bivolo?"

Roy's eyes focused on the figure in front of him.

"Flash?"

The kid was by their sides in an instant.

"What the hell happened, why are you down here?"

"Not really sure, sort of woke up here. Digger…"

The kid looked down at Digger.

"What did this to him?"

"There's a gorilla…"

Flash tapped the earpiece on the side of his head. No doubt talking to his partners. They had a quick conversation, though Roy had a bit of trouble focusing on it. He felt oddly light headed. The Flash turned his attention back to Roy.

"Listen to me, we have to get out of here before they come back. I can't take both of you at the same time. Not with Harkness like this, I'm going to get him out of here and then I will be right back for you. Alright?"

Roy didn't figure he had much a choice in the matter.

"Hurry back."

The kid gave Roy an odd look, then grabbed Digger and was gone.

This whole thing felt like a strange dream. People coming in and out, moving constantly around him without any sense of what was really happening. If it wasn't for the numbing cold he might even believe it was a dream. Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a moment it would all go away.

Another gust of wind and…

Shit.

"Well, well Roy. Looks like you've been busy. Grodd, take Mr. Bivolo to a more secure location. I will deal with our guest."

Grodd appeared to the left of Roy. How the hell did something so big move so quietly?

Damn it, the kid would be back any second. Roy just needed to buy some time. He didn't even think about it, he just activated his powers and turned his eyes towards Grodd.

In hindsight, using rage on a 1500 pound gorilla in an enclosed space was not the smartest plan Roy had ever come up with. But seeing as he couldn't actually think of a plan without Grodd knowing about it, he had just reacted on instinct. And rage had always been the easiest emotion to access.

Roy was knocked across the room by one of Grodd's enormous arms. He felt a few ribs crack as he collided with a concrete wall. The sound of the gorilla roaring was deafening in the small area. It shook the walls, it reverberated in Roy's skull. The Reverse Flash was trying to move around Grodd, trying to contain the rampaging animal.

He was having little success.

Where the hell was the kid? Did he run Digger to a hospital in Russia or something?

Suddenly the Flash reappeared. Damn. Roy wondered if the Flash knew how strange it was for him to just suddenly be there.

"What the…"

Grodd picked up the Reverse Flash and threw him through a wall. Roy looked up at the Flash.

"We should probably go."

The Flash grabbed Roy and ran them out of there. The next thing Roy knew they were in a lab of some kind. Roy barely had time to get his bearings before the Flash was asking him questions.

"What were you doing with the Reverse Flash? And what was Grodd…"

Roy took a moment to try and figure out his surroundings. It looked oddly familiar, but he was sure he had never been here before. There was a STAR Labs insignia on a computer screen to his left. This must be the new STAR Labs, or at least what the Flash and his friends were using as their base since ARGUS took over the pipeline. Roy couldn't believe the kid had brought him here. Didn't the Flash know anything about keeping your base hidden? It wasn't like the Rogues would ever bring the Flash back to their hideout.

Roy was glancing around when he noticed his hands were shaking. What with all the fear of eminent death, he had forgotten how cold he was. He balled his hands into fists and opened them again several times, trying to get the feeling back.

"Bivolo?"

Roy looked up, he supposed he had rather been ignoring his scarlet savior.

"Sorry. I'm…very cold."

The Flash was gone and back in an instant. He handed Roy a STAR Labs sweater. Roy looked at it for a moment, his brain not quite catching up to what his hands should be doing.

"Put this on."

Roy removed the shirt he had been wearing and quickly put on the sweater. It was dry, and the sensation of being warm started to be more than just a memory.

Roy sat down in a chair nearby, the Flash handed him a blanket. Roy was so close to being warm again. So focused on his own comfort, he had completely forgotten about…

"Where's Digger?"

"I took Harkness to the hospital. He…wasn't breathing right."

"The gorilla…Grodd, did that to him I think. It's a little hard to…"

"Is Grodd still under your influence?"

Roy hesitated for a moment. The Flash gave Roy a disapproving look.

"Release him, now. If he leaves the sewers and starts attacking innocent people…"

"Alright, alright." Roy waited a few seconds then released the gorilla from his power. Maybe they would have gotten lucky and the animal had ripped the Reverse Flash in half. That would solve a few problems.

"Why did Grodd attack you?"

"I don't know. It's all a bit blurry." Roy looked up, the Flash was looking at Roy but completely avoiding looking at his eyes. Roy would have to pick his moment to use his powers. They didn't work on the Flash the same way they did with everyone else. He would have to be careful.

"What did the Reverse Flash want?"

"You, well making you suffer I suppose. He wanted me to do a job for him, something about instilling fear in the entire city. I tried to politely decline, but the man was rather dead set on it. Seemed to think we would all just go along with his plans. Not to mention the Rogues owe him for getting us locked up."

"Cold told me you weren't working with the Reverse Flash after he got locked up in the pipeline, said the Reverse Flash was playing us…I didn't believe him."

"That will teach you not to trust your closest enemies."

The Flash snorted.

"You guys are really full of yourselves, you know that?"

"Considering the ego of our opponent, we have to be." Roy leaned back a bit in the chair. He looked down at his feet, they still felt like blocks of ice.

Screw it.

Roy kicked off his shoes, and his wet socks. He was about to wrap the blanket around his feet when the Flash handed him a pair of dry socks.

Roy put them on gratefully, though kept his eyes on the hero.

"You're being awful accommodating."

"I don't want to see anyone suffer, no matter who it is."

The socks felt like heaven on his freezing toes. Roy made a mental note to take it easy on the kid the next time they fought.

"You said the Reverse Flash wanted to instill fear in the city."

"I don't know anything else. It was a little hard to pay attention, and his voice was distorted most of the time. He didn't reveal his plan to me, just said he would take me somewhere. And that is when you showed up for the rescue. Appreciate the save by the way."

"You're welcome. If he only needed you, why take Harkness?"

"Digger can be persistent…I would assume that's how he got so beaten up. They threatened to kill him if I didn't help. You have some very psychotic enemies for someone so young."

"I'm not that young. And it seems like you guys have the same problem."

"All a part of the job description."

Which it wasn't really. Thieves weren't supposed to get involved with time traveling psychopaths. Roy wondered when it was that he stopped even doubting something like that. Probably when he started being able to control peoples' emotions with a glance.

Flash was looking at Roy. Suddenly the brief calm between them changed. Roy figured it had to do with the kid realizing that he should probably be locking Roy up, not offering him hot beverages.

"You're under arrest."

"You're not a cop."

"I…I still have to say it though. I am going to take you to…"

There was a brief pause. A moment where Roy could see the kid struggling with a memory. No doubt the hero thinking back to the last time Roy had been taken into police custody.

It wasn't a memory that Roy would soon forget.

His shoulder still ached occasionally.

"…the pipeline. ARGUS will…"

Roy didn't like that option much better. No doubt Waller would be quick to pull Roy out of the prison and onto the Suicide Squad before the Rogues could free him.

The Flash seemed to be struggling with his decision to take Roy into the pipeline as well. Whether it had to do with an aversion to seeing the Rogues perform another prison break, or a distaste for Amanda Waller and her tactics, Roy couldn't be sure.

"How did you find us? Not that I'm not grateful but do you generally spend a lot of time running through the sewers?"

"I…we had been trying to track Grodd's movements for awhile. After…after what happened in the Roxalana Apartments…"

The cold in Roy's bones returned.

He kept his breathing steady, focused on moving his hands in a circular motion. On bringing back the warmth.

"Grodd did that?"

"We don't know why. Only that…"

The kid turned his head suddenly, responding to some unseen call in his head set.

Roy took the moment to look towards the door. The kid turned back towards Roy.

"Grodd's out of the sewer. He's running through downtown…"

The kid had people to save, but there wasn't anyone here to watch Roy. Roy saw his opportunity.

"How many people could Grodd kill in the time you are wasting debating about what to do with me?"

The Flash glared at Roy. For a moment, Roy thought the Flash might just scoop Roy up and take him with him to fight Grodd.

Thankfully, the kid simply disappeared in a gust of wind.

Well, that was fortuitous.

Roy looked down at his wet shoes. The idea of putting them back on made him shiver.

He could buy new shoes.

Roy kept the blanket wrapped around him. He thought about sticking around, seeing what he could find out about the new STAR Labs headquarters. But he didn't know where Cisco or Caitlin were. Didn't know if the Flash had called for someone to come and collect Roy.

So he headed towards the exit. He made it out and headed down an alleyway. There was a car parked a few feet ahead. All he had to do was hotwire the car and he was home free. He could get back to the safe house, and then Cold would know…

Shit, he didn't even know which hospital Digger was at.

Hartley would be able to figure it out.

Piper could hack into anything. They would have Digger back in no time.

Roy turned on the heat in the car as high as it would go. He drove slowly back towards the safe house. He didn't think he was being followed. He found himself turning down the wrong street a few times. Not intentionally though. He attributed it to his brain still de-thawing. It took him longer to get back than it should have.

He pulled the car in to the garage, he was barely out of the door when he saw Mardon heading towards him. The man looked angry.

"Where the hell…what the hell are you wearing?"

Roy looked down.

Right. The STAR Labs shirt.

It was incredibly warm. He was going to keep it.

"The Flash gave it to me."

"What…Roy, how…you know what? Fine. Get your ass inside now. I have to tell the others you're back. Call off the search. Where is Digger?"

"The hospital."

"Going to put a damn tracker in your neck…"

Mardon walked away quickly, Roy saw him pull out his phone and speak to someone on the other line. Most likely Cold.

Roy padded into the living room, he would have continued on to his room, except that Mardon grabbed his arm.

"Oh hell no. You can sleep after you have explained what happened. This was supposed to be an easy run. Every time you go out for an easy meet, something terrible happens."

Mardon had a tendency to not think before he spoke. He let his emotions talk for him. So Roy was certain that Mardon wasn't implying that some how Roy was responsible for what happened at the Roxalana Apts, or for being ambushed by the Reverse Flash.

Mardon responded to fear with anger. The man needed someone to blame. And Roy was the only one around.

Roy's hands weren't shaking any more. And they hadn't started shaking when he thought about the massacre. Being able to paint again had helped, more than anything else really. Although, he hadn't kept the painting he did of the bloody scene.

Mick had been rather incredulous when Roy had asked him to burn it.

"You sure? Seems like you got real pissed when we destroyed your stuff last time."

"Those paintings were parts of myself I wanted to keep. Parts I needed. I…I don't want to carry this one around."

Mick had set it on fire without another word. Roy had never intentionally destroyed one of his paintings before. Once he had finally managed to get it out of his mind, he found he couldn't stand to look at it. Not because of the violence or the bodies, but because it didn't look right.

There was something missing. Something that his painting hadn't been able to capture. Something that still lingered in Roy's mind.

He would get it out one day, he was sure.

Roy didn't respond to Mardon's words. Just sat down gingerly on the couch, his ribs still aching.

"You said Digger was in the hospital? What happened to him? Did the mob guys take a shot at you? Shawna said she came outside and you were both gone. Car still there, but no sign of either of you."

"I…I don't think we…it's all a little fuzzy."

Mardon's hand was suddenly on the back of Roy's head. Mark's fingers brushed over a wound. Roy hissed and attempted a glare.

"Rude."

"You got a hell of a whack back there. You might have a concussion."

That would explain a few things. Like the missing time, and not being able to focus on what was happening around him.

"You hurt anywhere else?"

"I think I cracked some ribs when Grodd threw me at that wall."

"Grodd? You got attacked by Grodd?"

Had he not told Mark that part?

"I thought I mentioned that."

"Sit still. I'll grab the med kit. Wrap your ribs, they're going to be uncomfortable for a while."

"Hm."

Roy leaned a little farther back onto the couch.

"Lift up that ridiculous shirt Roy."

Roy opened his eyes. He hadn't realized he had dozed off. Roy did as he was commanded and lifted his shirt. Mardon started to wrap Roy's ribs.

"And where are your damn shoes?"

Roy looked down.

"I…left them somewhere…they were so cold."

Mardon sighed. He produced a blanket seemingly out of nowhere.

"I…had a blanket earlier."

"You left it in the car."

"Oh."

Roy wrapped the blanket around himself.

"Did Grodd get Digger too?"

"He wasn't breathing…or he was, but I couldn't tell. He looked dead…"

Roy was having trouble remembering what had happened. The events were swirling around in his mind. The sequence of events felt strangely out of order. He knew Digger was there, knew he was injured, then the Flash…

"The Flash took him to the hospital. Not the Reverse Flash. The real Flash. The Reverse Flash was a dick."

Roy could tell that Mardon was losing patience. Roy wasn't trying to be difficult. He was trying to remember what had happened, in the right order. But it just kept slipping away.

"So. The Reverse Flash and Grodd, took you and Digger, and beat you guys up? Why?"

"Wanted me…to do…something. Something with fear. They were going to kill Digger…because…." Roy rubbed his temples. There was sharp pain starting to form in his head. "Kill Digger if I didn't…do…" It was like he was trying to watch TV through static. The images were there, but they were fuzzy, distorted. And every few seconds they would jump up to the top of the screen and repeat.

"All right Roy. You just get some sleep. We'll figure this out in the morning."

That sounded like a good idea.

He could get some rest, then get his thoughts in order. Try to figure out what it all meant. Why the Reverse Flash had been so focused on Roy. Why he had ordered Grodd to kill Pete and the others.

It meant something, Roy was sure of it.

He thought back to the painting, to what had been so conspicuously absent from it. To that missing piece that still lingered within in him.

To what he had felt when Grodd had lifted him up off the ground and threatened to kill him.

To what he felt when we couldn't find Digger's pulse.

To the emotion that the Reverse Flash was so obsessed with spreading.

To fear.

* * *

"You want to do what?"

Mardon thought he had been pretty clear.

"Put a gps tracker on Roy. Just like, one of those little ones they inject in dogs. We keep losing the asshole."

Hartley was looking at Mardon with concern.

"Shawna said that Roy was fine, no lingering effects from his mild concussion."

"Oh yea? And how is Digger doing? He perfectly alright?"

That had made the young genius snap his mouth shut with an audible click.

Digger was still in the hospital. A broken rib had punctured one of his lungs. Shawna had teleported Cold and Lisa into his hospital room after visiting hours. They said that the mercenary was still hooked up to a respirator. They couldn't get him out yet. They had to wait until he could breathe on his own.

Digger could have easily died. And that could have easily been Roy.

Maybe they should all have trackers put in them. Keep shit like this from happening.

Roy had been a little clearer over the next few days. He still got some things jumbled up a bit, but he remembered most of what happened.

Why the hell this Reverse Flash jerk had it out for them, they didn't know. Far as Mark knew, none of them had ever even met the guy before. The only time had been when they went to that meeting, and that had been a set up. The guy had hated them from day one.

And as far as Mark knew, they didn't even deserve it.

Course, Cold was saying the guy was a time traveler.

So maybe they did something to him in the future that the guy hated them for.

Good.

Mark hoped whatever it was, it had hurt the son of a bitch.

He was sitting at the table with Lisa. They were going over some data that she had managed to steal from the STAR Labs kids. Information on Grodd, on how to block his powers, anything they had on the Reverse Flash.

They were going over it all with a fine-toothed comb. Mark wasn't the biggest fan of sorting through stacks of data and security feeds but they needed to find these assholes. Needed to strike back before the Reverse Flash came after any of them again.

"Look at this."

Lisa turned her laptop around. It was a security feed from an ATM downtown. A flash of something sped past the camera.

"So?"

She rolled her eyes.

"It's not the Flash, he's on the other end of town helping save people from a burning building. It's gotta be the Reverse Flash. And…look."

Mardon looked at the time stamp. It was around the same date and time that Digger and Roy had been taken.

"Roy said the guy left him and Digger alone for a little bit."

"Exactly. And that he was planning to take him somewhere. I think we can figure out where." Lisa pulled up a map of the surrounding area.

"What's around there?"

Her eyes focused on one spot.

"You remember KXAN?"

"The old news channel that went bankrupt?"

"Exactly, the station is still out there, as is all the equipment old RF would need. I think, he wanted to use the station to broadcast a signal out to everyone in Central. Have Roy's powers beamed directly into their homes."

"Roy's powers don't work like that."

"Don't they? Shawna didn't know she could teleport by looking at a live feed until our lives were on the line. I think RF was going to use the threat of killing Digger and torturing Roy to force Roy's powers to work in the way he wanted them to."

"And what if that hadn't worked? What if Roy's powers only work when he's looking someone in the eyes?"

Lisa didn't respond.

Not that she had to. Mark knew exactly what the Reverse Flash would have done if his plan hadn't worked.

Which brought him back to the GPS tracker idea. Or they should at least have to check in every ten minutes by….

"What have you got sis?"

Cold entered the room. Lisa flipped her laptop around and explained what they had found.

"Think we should check it out?"

"We have to assume that the Reverse Flash has already removed anything we could use to find him, but it's all we have at the moment. Lisa, take Mardon and Shawna. I've got Hartley trying to track Grodd and the Reverse Flash through other means, and Mick is still keeping an eye on the cops and Digger at the hospital. Check in every ten minutes. We clear?"

"Of course." There wasn't any sarcasm in Lisa's voice, no hint of mocking. She, like the rest of them, wasn't taking the abduction of their friends lightly. Someone was going to pay a heavy price for what happened to Roy and Digger.

Nobody goes after the Rogues and gets away with it.

It was almost midnight by the time they reached the old TV station. KXAN was a piece of shit back in the day and it was even worse now. Missing most of its windows, roof half caved in. Place should be condemned.

Mardon blew open the locked doors. Lisa and Shawna headed in first. They each had a flashlight, illuminating the dilapidated walls and dirty floors.

"What the hell are we even looking for? It all looks like junk."

Shawna nodded in agreement.

"Mardon's right. Aside from the dust and mouse turds, there doesn't appear to be anything here. Just a bunch of old wires and broken tables."

Lisa picked up a pamphlet off a nearby magazine rack. She stared at it for a moment.

"What was that old show they used to have on Saturday mornings? The crappy thing with the guy dressed as an elephant. Used to steal kids from their rooms or something?"

Shawna shrugged.

"Never heard of it."

Mark answered without even thinking about it.

"The Mr. Melick Magic Hour."

Mark turned his head to realize that both of the women were staring at him.

"What?"

He turned and walked away from their curious looks.

It had been Clyde's favorite show growing up. Damn thing aired at 5 o'clock in the morning. Clyde used to wake him up and make him watch it every Saturday. He always wanted them to watch it together.

Mark couldn't remember how many times he had tried to explain to Clyde that Elephant wasn't real. He didn't have magic powers that would take them wherever they wanted to go.

Clyde never listened. Kept thinking that one day, Elephant would come busting out of their closet. Bright colorful lights shooting out of his trunk, and he would take them away on an adventure.

Together.

It was always together.

That's what brothers did. What families did. They stuck together.

Mark looked down to see small electrical charges forming around his hands. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. He needed to focus. This wasn't the time for this. Just push all that old shit down.

Just push it all down.

Down where it can't touch you.

The electricity dissipated.

"Soooooo, looks like a whole lot of nothing." Shawna was opening filing cabinets which wasn't doing much besides pushing dust around.

"Spread out, see if there is any equipment here from the last decade."

They searched a few more minutes, checking old offices, opening any door they found. Eventually they made it to the soundstage. There was one camera still there, still pointing at where some old set used to stand. Lisa walked around and looked at the camera.

"I could have made it as an actress you know. Still could."

Mark rolled his eyes.

"Reality star maybe."

"I'd watch that show."

"Thank you Shawna." Lisa examined the camera. "No power cords, and it looks like most of the wiring inside is frayed. I don't think the Reverse Flash was going to use the cameras. Must have wanted to use the old satellite dishes that are still hooked up. Or he was never here…this is a dead end."

Shawna kept moving her flashlight towards every corner. Towards every sound. The light bounced off of every reflective surface, creating even more shadows. Even more places for monsters to hide.

"This place is creepy. I say we bail before Grodd shows up."

"All right, I'm calling it. Let's head out."

They headed back through the building. The cobwebs and dust covered everything. There was water damage on the ceiling tiles, most of which had collapsed to the ground. They should just tear this place down already. What was the point of keeping a tomb like this standing?

They were almost back to the main entrance when Mark saw it. It was barely visible through the cracked closet door. But there was no mistaking it. He didn't know why, but he walked towards the door. He wanted to see it. Wanted to be sure.

Mark opened the closet door the rest of the way. The small room was full of a bunch of old props from old local shows the station had made. Everything he remembered from Mr. Melick's Magic Hour. The magic bag of tricks, the magic carpet, even a puppet of what was supposed to be a dog named Gruff. Had always looked more like a rat to Mark. But Clyde had loved that stupid dog.

And there, resting against the wall, was Elephant himself. Completely covered in mold and dust. One of its ears had disintegrated, the other had been chewed almost completely away by mice. Its purple face was now black from the mold. One of its plastic eyes was missing. The other stared straight at Mark.

It still had that ridiculous smile on its face. Those stupid fake tusks.

_Together Mark. When Elephant comes, and takes us away. We can go wherever we want. No one can hurt us, cause we will always be together. Right Mark?_

Mark couldn't remember who had given Clyde the black eye that time or why the words had sounded so desperate but they taunted him now. They lingered in his mind. Clyde had believed the words. Had believed that they would make it out.

They were always supposed to escape together.

Or else what was the point?

Mark threw a bolt of lightening at the costume.

The closet erupted in flames. Mark watched as Elephant burned away. His brother's voice silenced by the crackling of the flames.

"Jesus! Mark!" Lisa grabbed his arm. Pulling him away from the spreading fire. "What the hell was that?"

"You said there was nothing else to find. Who cares if the place burns?"

"Damn it." The fire started to move beyond the closet. Lisa's fingernails were digging into his arm. He could put the fire out. A little rain and it would stop.

But he didn't. He just kept letting it spread. Kept letting it take that destroyed building.

He was going to get an earful from Cold about this he was sure. He turned, just in time for Lisa to slap him across the face.

"Are you out of your mind? This was supposed to be a quick mission. See if there…"

"We didn't find anything. You said it yourself this was a dead end."

"You idiot. If this was a place the Reverse Flash was going to use, then the last thing we would want is for him to know we were here. That we were able to figure out his patterns. Hartley could have put up sensors that would have detected if he ever came back or we could have set a trap…."

Shawna pointed towards the collapsing building.

"Little late for that now."

Lisa glared at Mark.

"I get that you're frustrated about the Reverse Flash. But you can't just set buildings, buildings that your teammates are still inside of by the way, on fire."

"Seriously Mardon. We already have one pyro on this team."

"All right, I get it. Let's just head back."

Lisa still had a crushing grip on his arm.

"Get your shit together Mardon. Our enemies are too clever for us to be making bullshit emotional mistakes now. Shawna, get us out of here."

Mark took one last look at the building burning behind him. He couldn't hear his brother's voice anymore. But the tightness that had been building in his chest for the last few days was still there.

It still had its claws wrapped around his ribs. Burning the building hadn't done anything to relieve it. Watching that ridiculous costume melt into nothing, hadn't helped.

He didn't know why. He didn't know how to make it go away.

This tightness that had started when Roy and Digger disappeared. When Roy had said that Digger might be dead. When Mark realized that Grodd and the Reverse Flash were targeting the Rogues specifically.

This felt different than last time. Even when they had been locked up in the pipeline, he hadn't felt this…

Shawna teleported them back to the safe house. Lisa stormed away, no doubt off to tell her brother about what Mark had done.

"You sure you're alright?"

Mark turned towards Shawna.

They all felt it.

They all knew something bad was coming their way. That this…crew of theirs was one day going to take a hit they wouldn't be able to bounce back from.

Electricity started to gather around his fingertips.

Push it down Mark.

Push it all down.

"Yea. Fine."


	5. Chapter 5

"Bullshit."

"I'm serious."

"You're drunk."

"I'm telling you, it's all about updrafts and air pockets…"

"So you've been reading books about the weather now?"

"What? No. Look, its just this…you know what. Screw it. I'll just show you."

Mardon stood up quickly from his bar stool. Only slightly stumbling in his attempt at a grand exit. Roy thought about grabbing him. About stopping the man from no doubt making an embarrassing scene. But then decided it might be funnier to just let the man fall on his ass.

Mardon headed for the door.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"I have to be outside."

Roy sighed and stood up from his own stool. Cold would kill Roy if he let Mardon jump off of a building. Roy begrudgingly followed the other meta outside. It was far too cold out for this. There was already a few inches of snow on the ground. Maybe the powder would break Mardon's fall and not the man's neck.

By the time Roy caught sight of him, Mardon was climbing to the top of an 18 wheeler in the parking lot. Roy cursed under his breath.

"You have got to be kidding me."

Roy walked a little quicker. Mardon was standing on top of the truck, his arms stretched out wide. Why couldn't they ever just go out for a quiet drink? Why did Mardon always insist on throwing a lightening bolt or starting a hurricane or…

"Don't be stupid Mardon."

"Oh come on Roy. You're the one that dared me to do this."

"I didn't dare you to do shit."

Mardon was smiling. He probably wouldn't die falling from that height, but he would definitely break a leg or two. Which was going to make the job in Starling next week all the more difficult.

Roy wasn't looking forward to that job.

He never liked Starling City. Place was always so dreary, so cloudy. The darkness of the city made it difficult for him to see clearly. He didn't like the shadows his vision would create.

He liked getting shot by arrows even less.

But Cold was insistent.

Some shady organization was running a large cargo of artifacts meant for a private buyer through the Starling City docks.

Cold had said that there was something among the artifacts that might help them understand what the Reverse Flash was up to. Why he had taken Roy, what he was planning.

"What makes you so sure we will find the info we need there?"

"Because, the Reverse Flash told Roy that he wanted him to spread fear. And then less than two weeks later, a shipment of artifacts relating to an ancient civilization that worshiped a fear god known as Parallax, is quickly brought to the U.S.? That's too much of a coincidence for me to ignore."

"You think the Reverse Flash is the private buyer."

"The man may be fast, but he can't be everywhere at once. Those crates are only going to be on the docks for a few minutes before they get sent off elsewhere. Starling City is the best time to take those artifacts. And if it turns out the Reverse Flash isn't behind the sale, then we can always sell them ourselves. If the Reverse Flash is going to continue to meddle in our affairs, then it is time we started screwing with his."

So they were leaving the relative safety of Central City to steal an artifact of an ancient fear god so that a man from the future couldn't have it.

Maybe Mardon saying he could fly wasn't the most ridiculous thing Roy had ever heard.

Mardon took another step towards the edge of the truck, small gust of wind were gathering around his hands. Roy took a few more quick steps. He couldn't believe that Mark was actually going to do this. He was not looking forward to having to carry the man back to the car and then explain to Cold why Mark's legs were broken.

Mardon stepped off the edge of the truck…

Holy shit.

The asshole was flying.

Not just hovering a few feet off the ground, or just slowing his decent slightly. He was full on flying around in the air.

God, Mardon was going to be even more insufferable after this.

Mardon flew a few loops around the parking lot then landed with a graceful stumble.

"Smooth."

"Oh come on Roy, you know you're impressed."

Roy did his best to keep his face neutral. He wasn't going to give Mardon the satisfaction.

"So when did you pick up this little trick?"

Mardon smiled wider and gave Roy a shove.

"Trick? Can any of you assholes fly? I was training with Mick the other day, we're working on creating a cyclone that will pull in the flames from his gun without snuffing them out right away. It would be a spinning wall of fire, the Flash couldn't run through. Went to push some flames away with a gust of wind and sort of pushed myself up for a few seconds. Been working on it all week."

"You told Cold yet?"

"Ha! No. Figured I'd just surprise him on the next job. Maybe fly up and meet him on the roof of the warehouse. Make him drop that impassive mask of his for a few seconds. It'll be hilarious."

Roy smirked. That would be pretty funny.

"He might freeze you to the ground."

"If he can catch me."

Oh yes, this was going to do wonders for Mardon's ego.

Roy rubbed his hands together, the cold of the night starting to seep into his clothing. Ever since the sewer, Roy found he tended to get cold quicker. He was wearing more layers right now than was strictly necessary even with the snow. It was such a small thing though, he never really mentioned it to the others. They didn't need to worry about Roy wearing an extra sweater. Especially since Digger was still out for the count.

They had finally managed to get Digger out of the hospital only four days ago. The so-called Rogues Task Force had been guarding him. Roy would admit that the RTF had made Digger's extraction slightly more difficult. They had anti-meta technology, not to mention the individualized weapons to counteract each of their powers.

It had taken them almost seven minutes to get Digger out of the hospital. If the RTF hadn't been there, why it might have only taken five.

Cold had warned them about getting too cocky with regards to the RTF. Mardon had, predictably, disagreed.

"That task force is a joke. It's a publicity stunt, meant to make the people of Central sleep sounder at night. They can't do shit."

"That might be the case, but they are still cops…"

"Riot cops with some fancy tech. They're all still pissed about that spanking we gave them at STAR Labs, this is just…"

"Thank you Mardon. As I was saying. The RTF may not be a threat to us now, but that doesn't mean we don't need to keep an eye on them. Cops don't like it when criminals get away, they like it even less when criminals make a habit of getting away. They start to take more…extreme measures. I don't want any of us getting hit because we turned our backs on some rookie trying to prove himself."

Roy had seen the wisdom in that. A couple idiot cops looking to make names for themselves, looking be heroes. Those were the most dangerous ones. The ones that thought they were in the right.

Not everyone agreed with Cold's assertion however, Hartley had been particularly derisive.

"Please, those cops couldn't touch us. I ran background checks on all of them. None of them excelled in their classes at the academy, they have had uneventful, boring careers up to this point. Most of them took the position because it would look good on their resume. Look…"Hartley pulled up a screen showing each member of the task force. "…this one barely qualified to become a cop. He failed his psych eval twice, and they still let him on the task force. The RTF seems to be where they send cops if the crossing guards won't take them."

"It only takes one cop to get it in his head that he is going to be the hero of the day and kill a Rogue."

Both Mardon and Hartley had rolled their eyes, but kept any further comments to themselves. The conversation had died shortly afterwards. Roy knew that Cold wanted everyone to stick together, to be extra diligent. There had been too many close calls recently.

"Come on Roy…" Mardon slung an arm over Roy's shoulders. "…let's head back before Cold starts calling. Knowing him, he will start enacting a curfew we show up too late."

"You sure you don't want to fly back?"

"Like I would let you drive the car, you almost wrecked it last time."

"I had a concussion."  
"Yea, yea."

They got back into the car. Mardon slid into the driver seat. He was the more sober of the two, which wasn't really saying much. Roy cranked up the heat, probably higher than was strictly necessary. He could feel his feet starting to defrost.

The car ride back was mostly silent. Roy had leaned his head against the window. He was going to pass out as soon as he made it back to his bed. Hell he might not even make it that far. He might just sleep in the car until one of the others needed it. He remembered when Mick had passed out in the hallway one night and they just kept stepping over him until he woke up ten hours later.

"You'd like it."

Roy opened his eyes and stared blearily at Mardon. Mark's eyes were still on the road, he wasn't looking at Roy.

"Flying. You'd like it."

Roy snorted.

"I doubt it. I get airsick. I'm the guy who has to use the brown paper bag behind the seat."

"That's because you were in a sealed metal box with some shitty pilot. This is different. Trust me."

Roy could see the smile on Mardon's face. It was odd. So out of place on the normally tempestuous man. Flying gave Mardon something. Maybe it was regaining a bit of the freedom that had been taken from him when he was locked in the pipeline. Maybe it was realizing he would never get into another airplane accident himself, that he could always fly himself out.

Or maybe it was just that he thought it was really cool.

Whatever the reason, Roy wouldn't question it. Mardon needed something that could calm him down. A hobby. Something other than causing lightening storms that knock out the power to half the city. Of course, most people taught themselves how to cook or learned a new language.

Mardon taught himself how to fly.

Never let it be said that the Rogues did anything by halves.

Still, Roy doubted he would enjoy it.

"Unless I am literally falling to my death, no thanks."

"You don't know what you're missing Roy."

"Story of my life."

"You're no fun."

"I'm alright with that."

The next morning, Cold was going over some last minute details about the job. Roy was trying his best to pay attention. He might have been slightly drunker than he had thought last night.

Maybe he had imagined the whole 'Mardon can fly' thing.

"Mardon, once the guards are taken out, I want you on top of the roof. You'll need to be up there within two minutes so that you can see all of the relay boxes and hit them with lightening simultaneously. Can you manage that?"

Mardon smirked.

"Oh yea. It'll be a breeze."

Roy sighed. Apparently he hadn't imagined it. He was looking forward to seeing how the others reacted to this new development though.

Shawna entered the room. Lisa turned towards the female meta.

"How's Digger?"

"Bandages are holding up. He's going to have to sit this job out maybe the next couple jobs, don't think we can risk him reinjuring himself."

Cold gave her a look.

"And?"

They all turned and looked at her. Cold's tone had implied that she was holding something back. Shawna looked hesitant.

"It's probably nothing I mean, the dude was almost dead a few days ago…"

"What is it?"

"He didn't hit on me."

There was a moment of silence. Mardon laughed suddenly.

"Seriously? Jesus, I thought you were going to say his organs were starting to fall out or something."

"I know, I know it's completely ridiculous. But…I don't know alright. He's just…whatever. Forget it."

Roy smirked at Shawna. She was constantly complaining about Digger's advances. About his inappropriate comments.

Hartley nudged Shawna as she sat down.

"You know it's nothing personal that I don't hit on you right?"

Shawna gave Hartley a light shove.

"Ok, I get it. It sounds stupid when I say it out loud. It's probably just that he's still drowsy from all the drugs they pumped him full of. He'll be back to being a total creeper in no time. Forget I said anything."

"Well, personality quirks aside, Digger will be staying behind for the Starling job. It should be relatively straightforward. We get in, we get the crates and we get out. The cargo shouldn't be on the Arrow's radar since it is all being brought in legally, and doesn't have a high monetary value. We stick to the schedule, and we bring the goods back here."

It was a solid plan, they all knew their parts. All knew where they had to be to make it all go off without a hitch. It wasn't long before they were ready to put it all in motion.

It had been snowing in Central for the past several days, creating an idyllic winter land. People had built snowmen in the parks, kids were having snowball fights. Everything you saw in cheesy Hallmark movies was happening in the streets of Central.

In Starling, there was nothing but freezing rain and ice. What little snow there was, had turned almost black from all the grime and mud. The people stayed inside, having no reason to leave the warmth of their homes for the biting cold.

On the way to the job, Mick had almost crashed the car from all the black ice coating the roads. That hadn't been the greatest portent of things to come.

Still, they had pushed forward. Getting to the site just in time to watch the workers unloading several crates.

They were already 22 seconds behind schedule. A fact Cold was constantly reminding them of. They all managed to get into their positions. Mardon on top of the roof, Mick and Snart taking out the guards at the east entrance, Shawna and Hartley taking out the security feeds.

Roy and Lisa were taking out the guards closest to the crates. She walked out into the open, drawing their attention.

"Hello boys. Can you help a girl out? I seem to be a little lost."

The guards raised their guns, and Roy stepped behind them. He activated his powers, hitting two of the guards with fear. Both of them stood frozen to the spot. The third, Lisa quickly dispatched of.

Lisa looked up and smiled.

"I think we just made up 7 of those lost seconds. Lenny will be so pleased."

Roy opened his mouth to reply, when one of the guards under Roy's influence suddenly started running. Roy took a step back in surprise.

"Where is he going?"

His powers were still affecting the guard, the man should just be standing still like the other one. Lisa pulled her gun and aimed it at the legs of the retreating man.

The man ran right off the edge of the dock and into the water.

"Huh. That was weird. Did you hit him with an extra dose or something?"

"No…same as this one."

"Hm. Well, no reason to take any chances." Lisa knocked the other guard out with the but of her gun. "Guess that guy just reacted badly."

"Right."

Roy didn't know what to make of that. He had never had someone change how they reacted to fear. If they ran, they ran. If they stood still, they stood still. They didn't freeze in fear, then decided to run blindly off the edge of the dock. Roy tried to look and see if he could see the man in the water.

He didn't.

Did that count as a kill?

The man had panicked. Had run blindly, when his fear should have kept him in place. Roy didn't think he had put any panic into the fear. Had he unintentionally done it? He hadn't used fear since…since before the Roxalana Apartments. Maybe he had let too much of what he felt then seep through now.

Lisa pulled on Roy's arm.

"Don't sweat it Roy. Guy just had a weird reaction to your powers. Let's get going before Lenny has an aneurysm."

The guards had been taken care of, the security was shut off, all the dock workers had been locked up. This job had actually gone off without a hitch. Cold was glaring at Mardon, but turned his attention to the crates

"Alright, lets get this stuff out of here before any masked vigilantes show up."

Mark was just standing there with huge smile on his face.

Roy smirked.

"I missed it?"

Lisa looked at them.

"Missed what?"

"Freaking Mark can freaking fly!" Shawna punched Mark in the shoulder. "I almost had a heart attack when you jumped off that building."

"Focus on the task at hand people."

"Dude, you are so giving me like a piggy back ride."

"Shawna."

"Right. Sorry boss man." Shawna disappeared with a smile at Mark. Mark was looking completely unrepentant. No doubt he would tell Roy all the details later.

Lisa took a few steps towards Mardon.

"Fly?"

Mardon's smile grew wider.

"I can…"

"You can stay on the ground until we get out of Starling. Might I remind you all, that we are still behind schedule. We only have one minute and thirteen seconds before at least one of the Arrows shows up. Less if it's the one in the mechanical suit."

Roy kept thinking back to the man in the water. This odd feeling of dread was sitting in his chest. He couldn't explain it…it was just this sense that something was wrong.

He had to ignore it. Just focus on the job and get back to Central.

They loaded the crates into the trucks. Lisa and Hartley got into one, Roy and Mardon got into the other. Best to divide up the spoils in case one of them got caught.

Mick, Snart, and Shawna headed for their car.

"Stick to the route, don't take any side roads. We have to get out of the city quietly. Use your powers only as a last resort."

They removed their earpieces and destroyed them. Their intel suggested that whoever did the tech for the Arrow was exceptionally good. Even Hartley had been impressed. They couldn't risk that whoever it was would be able to track their signals. Hartley had even put dampeners in the trucks that would block anyone from detecting meta human energy in the area.

Roy kept watching through the windows. Kept looking for the tale tell sign that they were being followed. That at any moment their tires would blow out and they would be in for a fight.

But it never happened. No arrows came flying at them, no masked vigilantes on motorcycles tailing them.

Roy had been certain they would run into something. Certain that their deaths were only…

"What's with you?"

"What?"

Mark was looking at Roy curiously.

"We're almost two hours outside of Starling and your still acting like we are in the middle of it. We got away clean."

Roy didn't respond. Just kept his eyes on the road behind them.

He didn't know what this was. Didn't know why he felt like they should be going faster. That they weren't safe.

That they would never be safe.

Even when they were back at the safe house, the feeling still remained. It wasn't growing or changing, but just staying with him. Keeping him on edge. They unloaded most of the crates into the garage, then brought one with them into the living room. Shawna went to check on Digger. The man was still bed ridden, but that usually didn't stop him from trying to get up and wander around the safe house. The man must really be hurting to not be here waiting to see the spoils.

Mick pulled out a crow bar and pried open the crate. Cold, Mick, and Lisa were the closest, pulling things out to examine them. Hartley and Mardon were sitting on the couch. Roy was content to lean against the bar and watch the proceedings. Most of the items were wrapped in layers of protection. The crates looked old, ridiculously so to be honest. Like they were props from a movie from the 1920s. The crates were even full of straw.

Lisa pulled out what looked like a knife of some kind.

"Be extra careful with these, we don't know what exactly they were used for. They could be covered in ancient poisons."

"That's why I'm wearing gloves big brother…" Lisa pushed on one of the jewels engrained in the side. The dagger split into three blades. "Ooo, pretty."

Mick picked up what looked like a statue of snake with wings.

"What the hell was the Reverse Flash going to do with all this crap? Start a museum?"

"I don't know and until we do, we need to learn more about them. There's a college professor at the university who specializes in ancient artifacts, we might have to pay him a visit. Figure out what all this means."

"Go listen to some boring history lesson of an ancient culture that got wiped out a thousand years ago? Pass." Mick tossed the sculpture at Roy. Roy instinctively grabbed it. He gave Mick a quick glare. Just because it was a sculpture didn't mean Roy couldn't appreciate it as a piece of art. It had survived a thousand years, Roy wasn't going to let it be broken because Mick didn't think it looked valuable.

He examined it for a moment. It was an interesting design. A bit crude though. The wings themselves didn't have much detail to them. It didn't have any jewels or ornate embellishments to it. It was just a plain statue made of clay. Even its eyes were devoid of…

The serpent's eyes flashed yellow.

Roy dropped the statue in shock.

It shattered on the ground.

Mick snorted.

"Nice."

Roy felt like he was standing outside Pete's apartment all over again. He could almost smell the blood in the air. His hands were shaking. It was oddly hard to breathe.

"Roy?"

What the hell was that? Why…why did its eyes flash? He didn't use his powers. Had he imagine it? Had he really just seen the color yellow? The sense of dread that had gripped him at the docks, that had been sitting in his mind this whole time, suddenly roared to life. It clawed at his chest. The fear, the panic, it kept cycling back on him. Kept trying to pull him under. Was…

"Roy!"

Roy looked up, Hartley was holding onto his arm. The kid must have noticed Roy's little panic attack. He was trying to help him. Trying to get Roy to focus. Roy tried to calm down. He tried to breathe normally.

Roy's gaze moved to Hartley's face.

Hartley's eyes flashed yellow.

Hartley dropped Roy's arm. Roy had seen it, seen the fear contort Hartley's face. The kid turned and started to run.

Hartley was running away. He…he was terrified of Roy.

Roy was stunned. He…he hadn't meant to use his powers.

Cold's voice penetrated Roy's shocked mind.

"Shit. Grab him. Roy, release him. Now!"

Roy tried. He tried to make it stop. Tried to stop the fear from coursing through him.

"I…I can't, I don't…"

Roy started searching through his pockets. Where were his shades? Where the hell were his damn shades?

He kept his eyes on the ground. Kept from looking at any of the other Rogues. He didn't know who was still in the room. Who had gone after Hartley.

Who else he could infect.

He saw boots walking towards him. Cold's voice was level. Cold was always so calm in these situations.

"Roy. Where are your shades?"

"I don't know. They should be here, I thought I had them…"

"Ok. Calm down…"

"I didn't mean to…I swear I didn't mean to…"

"I know. Roy, it's fine. Try to calm down."

Calm down? He had just used his powers on Hartley. That kid was just trying to help him and…

Roy's hands finally grazed his shades. He pulled them out of his jacket, pushing them against his face.

He was still having trouble breathing.

"Roy, listen to me. Shawna will get Hartley, and Mardon's gone to get the light array. Hartley will be fine. Tell me what happened."

Roy tried to breathe. Tried to focus.

"I…the statue…it's eyes. They…flashed yellow."

"And that activated your powers?"

"I don't know. I don't know what happened. You…you don't understand. I…I saw it. I saw the color yellow. It was…"

It had been so clear. Not just a brief flash, not just a hint in another person's eyes. But the true color. It had been so...bright.

So vibrant.

So pure.

Why would seeing that color activate his powers? How the hell had he seen it in the first place? Was…was that what would happen if he ever saw any color? Would his powers be triggered? He would lose all control of his emotions? Was there no hope that he would…

Cold took another step towards Roy.

Roy took a step backwards.

"I…can't control it…."

"Roy, you have your shades on. And I have on mine. Mick and Lisa are wearing them as well. Look up Roy."

Roy hesitantly looked towards the three non-meta humans. Each of them were wearing the shades that reflected his powers.

What if that wasn't enough this time?

Roy quickly looked back towards the ground.

He tried to focus on breathing. On staying calm. On finding another emotion to latch onto.

Calm.

He could be calm.

He just needed to be calm. He took a deep breath.

His heart continued to beat wildly.

"Hartley's alright, got him…"

"Mardon out."

"Hey if…"

"We don't know how you might react to the artifacts. I don't want any of you anywhere near any of them. Out, now."

Mardon backed hesitantly out of the room. Roy got the feeling Mardon only went as far as the hallway.

"Roy, why don't we get you away from them too? Alright? You and me, we are going to go outside for a minute. Just to breathe. Mick and Lisa will follow behind with the light array. Just in case."

Roy nodded. Though he still kept his eyes diverted.

They walked out of the safe house. For a moment, Roy thought that Cold was taking Roy outside to kill him. The thought latched itself into his mind, he was having trouble shaking it. Roy had used his powers on another Rogue. That was against the rules.

Paranoia started to worm its way through Roy's mind. He should run. He should get the hell away from these people before they tried to kill him. He could use his powers on them. Then he could…

They stepped outside. The air was freezing. Roy tried to breathe it in. Tried to get more oxygen into his lungs. Maybe that would help him think straight. Cold put a hand on Roy's shoulder, guiding him away from the door.

They stopped only a few feet away. Roy leaned his back against the wall, then slid down to the ground.

There were a few inches of snow on the ground. Within moments, Roy's pants were going to be soaked. He focused on that. On the cold seeping it's way into his veins. His breathing started to even out.

Roy didn't know how long he sat there. After a while, Cold slid down and sat beside him. The man loved the cold, and with that jacket, he could probably sit out here all night.

Roy found a strange comfort in that.

The idea that Cold was going to kill him was gone.

He didn't know where it had come from. Why he had been so certain of it.

"I…I don't know what happened."

"It's my fault Roy. I should have know that if the Reverse Flash was going to use you in his plans, then the artifacts might react to you in some way. It's possible it reacted to your meta human gene."

Roy nodded, not truly listening to Cold's explanation. Although Cold sounded very sure of what he was saying, so it must be true.

"Hartley's fine Roy. No damage done. I'm sure he will say the same."

"Why did he run?"

"What?"

"The last time I used fear on all of you, it paralyzed you. Made the kid scream I think, but he didn't run away."

Cold looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know Roy. But I intend to find out. Lisa, go find out where that professor lives. We are going to drop by his residence a little sooner than expected. Mick, I want the artifacts, including the broken pieces of the statue, stored at an offsite location. Don't touch anything else until we find out more."

"You got it boss."

Lisa and Mick headed back inside.

Roy looked down at his hands, they were only slightly trembling now. Roy could almost convince himself it was from the cold.

"It could be that your powers have gotten stronger. So Hartley reacted differently this time."

Roy turned towards Snart.

"The guard at the docks reacted the same way. He just…ran."

"Look Roy, we don't know how these artifacts will affect you so, once we get them all moved, your powers will go back to normal."

"Right."

Of course. That was it. They would just move the artifacts. And Roy would be in control again.

Roy kept breathing, in and out. His panic, his fear were slowly being pushed back down. Slowly becoming more manageable. Even when the artifacts had been in the crates, Roy had been affected by them. They had been the cause of that strange panic, that lingering dread.

Roy didn't want to think about what the Reverse Flash would have done with those artifacts.

Or what he was planning on making Roy do.

He just focused on breathing. On Cold's quiet presence at his side. Focused on Mick taking the artifacts away. Focused on the idea that the others were safe. That he hadn't hurt anyone.

That he hadn't killed anyone.

Anyone that mattered anyway.

Which was going to have to be good enough for now.

* * *

 

"So magic statues now, huh?"

Mick didn't really expect Len to respond. He and Lisa were in the front seat, driving towards some professor's house. Trying to figure out what had caused Roy's powers to go crazy.

The others were all back at the safe house. By the time Mick had moved the crates to a storage area, Len and Lisa had already gotten all the information they needed on the professor.

All the meta members of the team had been forced to stay behind. Couldn't risk that this professor would have a statue or something lying around his house. Just needed to get some information without causing too much attention.

Mick had the broken pieces of the statue in a duffel bag on the seat beside him. The professor would look at it and know what to do.

He had to.

Roy had looked terrified. The same look he had when he had come running out of that apartment massacre. Kept his eyes on the ground though, kept backing away. Didn't want to hurt any of them.

They all knew what happened with Hartley was an accident. Hell, the kid was probably back there right now making sure Roy was alright.

Lisa turned in her seat to look at Mick.

"Oh come on Mick. Are magic statues really that big of a stretch for us? I mean, one of our crew members can fly."

Her tone was light. Trying to keep the levity from the job itself alive.

It took a lot to surprise Len. Seeing Mardon take a swan dive off of the rooftop had been pretty high on the list. Then the asshole had just floated down, like it was perfectly normal for a guy to fly off a roof.

Len hadn't reacted. But Mick knew him well enough to know he was impressed. Definitely going to be using that trick in the future.

The job had been easy. No problems, even missing Harkness, they had plenty of time to get in and get out before the Arrow showed up.

Hadn't considered that it would all go belly up when they were supposed to be safe and sound.

That the real danger was in the things they had stolen.

They should be out drinking. Celebrating. Not hitting up some old man in the middle of the night.

All things considered, the professor was holding up pretty well. Especially waking up to find three high profile criminals in his house. Not screaming or anything.

Could be that Mick had a hand over the guys mouth. Or that Len was giving his best, 'I'll kill you because I'm heartless' look.

"Professor Madison. My name is Leonard Snart, this is my sister Lisa, and the man with a hand on your face is Mick. We have some questions we would like to ask you. If you cooperate, there won't be any issues. Do we understand each other?"

Mick smiled at the professor. He found that tended to make people uneasy. More agreeable to talking to Len or Lisa.

The professor shook his head, so Mick let go of the man's face.

The old man sat up slowly, his eyes darting between the three criminals in his bedroom.

"I…I don't have anything worth…"

"We aren't here to steal anything Dr. Madison. We just want information."

Lisa stepped forward and dropped the duffel bag on the bed.

The old man opened it hesitantly. Probably thought there was a head in it or something. Mick smirked. Gotta love a good reputation.

"This…this is…"

"An artifact from the followers of Parallax. Had a bit of a mishap and it got a little broken."

"A little? It's destroyed! Do you have any idea how rare artifacts from that culture are? You thugs…"

Mick leaned over the professor.

"Maybe I should beat him up a little? Make him a little more docile?"

Len smirked.

"Now now Mick, I'm sure the professor just forgot himself for a moment. It won't happen again, will it?"

Dr. Madison swallowed heavily.

"I…of course not. I just…these are so rare."

Lisa picked up a shard.

"Now that rare. We have about seven crates full of stuff."

"That's…that's impossible. The artifacts were lost years ago, how could you have…."

"Let's just say we stole them from someone who has an more intimate knowledge of things in time. We didn't come here for you to confirm what we already know. We came here to ask you about Parallax and his followers."

"I…yes, well. It's so shrouded in mystery that most people doubt whether they ever truly existed at all. You see, a thousand years ago…"

Mick rolled his eyes and started to tune out the old man's words. Maybe he would go check out the rest of the house. See if there was anything worth taking. Those curtains looked pretty old. Probably take less than five seconds for them to go up.

He followed the curtains to the desk. Old wood, looks like the man liked his antiques. He could have the whole house lit up in less than two minutes.

"These artifacts are supposed to be infused with power from Parallax himself. It's most likely a legend, supposed to give his most devoted followers strength they did not have before. Increasing their ability to serve him, by increasing their ability to 'strike fear into their enemies'. Of the dozen or so artifacts found throughout the years, no one has ever seen any hint of power coming from them."

Mick snorted.

"Lucky us."

"What? What does he mean?"

"One of our guys touched this statue and…"

"Was he a meta human?"

"Yes…"

The professor leaped out of bed, Mick put a hand on his gun. But the old man just ran to desk and pulled out a notebook.

"I had theorized that the meta human gene may have originated from the followers of Parallax, that the particle accelerator reignited this dormant gene in those whose ancestors had once been touched by Parallax. Any meta human that has contact with an artifact, could theoretically be affected, but it is those that follow Parallax's course that would have the greatest reaction."

"Parallax's course."

"Those who spread fear. Your man, the one that reacted to the artifact, is he the one on the news who can control emotions?"

Len and Lisa shared a look. Mick didn't see what the big deal was with telling the old man. They could always just kill him after they got the information.

"You have to let me see how he interacts with…"

"I'm not putting any of my people in danger."

"I…yes of course. It's just…so exciting. Finally, after all these years I am proven right. I knew that Parallax was real, that…"

Mick was getting a little bored with this.

"Are we done here?"

Len raised a hand.

"Almost. Professor. What happened to the followers of Parallax? Were there any side effects from using the artifacts?"

"What? Oh umm, well the data is a little difficult to ascertain considering all the destruction that befell those people."

"Destruction?"

"Yes, you see the legend states that eventually the followers of Parallax were able to manipulate fear to the point where they were able to summon the god himself. He destroyed the entire village, slaughtering all those who lived here. No one was spared. Except for the ones that summoned him. To those he gave unbridled power, unlike what the world had ever seen before."

"So how did they stop him?"

"I…I don't know. There are huge gaps in our understanding of the past. Hundreds of years pass where we don't know anything about the people who lived in that time, or gods they worshiped, or how they died. All we have are shards of pottery and yet we are supposed to make inferences to their entire lives based on incomplete data. The legend says that the survivors who summoned him spread fear throughout the land, that it was a dark time. But there is no mention of how they were defeated, or how Parallax was banished. Or if he just left on his own."

Mick was completely unimpressed.

"So…you've got nothing."

Len stepped forward when it looked like the professor might get offended again.

"Thank you Dr. Madison. You've been a great help."

"He has?"

"Yes. Oh. And by the way…"Len pulled his gun and pointed it at the professor's chest. "If you tell anyone we were here, if you tell anyone about what we talked about, if you mention that you have new data regarding meta humans and these artifacts, my friends and I will make sure you end up a piece of history as well. Understand?"

The professor nodded.

The three of them headed out of the house and back to the car.

Lisa looked at them both.

"So the Reverse Flash thinks if he can summon Parallax, he can get back all the power he lost? Why target Roy? Why not some other random meta human to scare people with. I mean, there are a lot of people way creepier than Roy."

"Roy's powers would be the perfect conduit to spread fear quickly. I think our friend the Reverse Flash is working on a bit of a deadline. He's running out of time, and he needs this done now."

"Maybe before the Flash catches him?"

"Maybe. Are the rest of the artifacts secured?"

"Threw them in an old shipping container used to be owned by one of the Santinis. He ain't using it since we killed him."

"Good, make sure there is nothing linking that place to us. We need to find a way to find out what the Flash knows about all this."

"What like a truce with them? What makes you think they would ever trust us? Or that we could trust them?"

"Desperate times Mick. I get the feeling, they would be more than willing to be rid of the Reverse Flash for good."

Lisa smirked.

"Especially once they find out the guy is trying to wipe out the city. Lenny, at the docks, one of the guards reacted to Roy's powers the way Hartley did."

"Roy told me about that."

"You think that is the plan? Make people run in a blind panic, have half the city kill itself without having to lift a finger? Madison said that Parallax demands sacrifices."

"He did?"

"When you were calculating how long it would take to burn the place down. And the best place to start a fire. I know that look."

True. He hadn't heard half of what the old man said. What did it matter? All they needed to do was find this Reverse Flash and beat him to death.

Len held one of the shards in his hands.

"We will try and figure it out tomorrow. See if Hartley has been able to determine where the Reverse Flash and Grodd are holed up. Start making a plan to deal with them."

Lisa nodded and slid into the drivers seat. Len was still standing there, glancing down at the shard in his hand and then back at the house in front of him.

Magic statues. Guys from the future.

This really wasn't what Mick had signed up for when he joined the Rogues.

Still, wasn't that it was much different. There were still cops to avoid. Still old scores to settle.

Len was still being too quiet. Mick glanced at the shard. This was all so damn ridiculous.

"Remember when we used to just rob banks?"

Len didn't respond for a moment. No doubt thinking everything through. Thinking about what to do next. Thinking about how to hit the Reverse Flash back for this.

But then that had always been Len's problem.

Thinking too much.

Finally Len looked up.

"Not really."

Len turned and walked away. Heading back towards Lisa and the waiting car. Mick stared at the house, at the professor watching them through the windows.

"Yea, me either."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've taken the CW route and repurposed something from the comics for my own needs. Parallax is now an ancient fear god, since I doubt they will ever actually do anything with the Green Lanterns on the show.


	6. Chapter 6

"You guys seeing this?"

Of course they were seeing it. It was on every channel. Every damn local station was broadcasting it live. It was supposed to be an electoral speech. The Mayor talking about how safe the city was, how the cops were doing a great job defending Central from all the new threats.

A celebration of the police force and their anti-meta campaign.

The Mayor had practically guaranteed the event would be interrupted. He might as well have sent out invitations to every criminal in the city.

The Rogues had no intention of crashing. Too high profile, the Flash was bound to be somewhere waiting in the wings.

Which begged the question. Why wasn't the kid stopping this?

James Jesse was standing on the stage. The campaign banners and signs moved in the wind behind him. The banners now said things like "A vote for the Trickster is a Vote for FUN!" and "Free ice cream on Sundays and affordable Health Care for Puppies." The Trickster's face was huge on the large screen behind him.

And then there were all the damn cops. None of them were interfering, none moving to stop the madman in front of them. The vast majority of the crowd had fled at the first sign of trouble. But the cops were just standing there. Standing perfectly still in rows in front of the stage. Their faces completely blank, no sign that any of them knew what was happening around them.

Except for the six cops that were up on the stage with the Mayor. They were all on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. They looked angry, Roy could see them struggling against their bonds.

Roy recognized Detective West among the cops on the stage with Jesse.

James Jesses stepped forward, a large silver microphone in his hands, and addressed the cameras.

"Good Evening, Ladies and Germs! Today is a monumental day! A day that will be spoken about throughout the ages! Today, is the day that Central City gets to be a part of the greatest trick of all time. Such a day deserves a fitting name…how about Trickster or Treat Day?" Jesse began to laugh hysterically, then stopped abruptly. "Oh come on. That was a good one! I know it isn't exactly seasonally appropriate but you try to rhyme trick with Mayoral Speech, it isn't easy. You should all be laughing." When laughs were not immediately forthcoming, he fired a gun into the air.

"I said Laugh!"

There was a small smattering of forced laughter from the cops on the stage. The ones standing in rows didn't make a sound.

"I suppose that's why I get for playing to such an enthralled crowd."

"This guy's a whacko."

Roy was inclined to agree with Shawna. He had never personally met James Jesse, except for that brief moment during their breakout, and he had no desire to. There was something…wrong in the man's eyes.

There was movement behind the curtain on the stage. Grodd lumbered out and stood behind Jesse. The cops on the stage looked afraid.

Hell, Roy was scared and he was safely miles away.

That explained all the unmoving cops that made up the crowd. Grodd was keeping them all in line. Mind controlling them to remain in place. To not interfere.

"Oh now, don't be afraid. Old Grodd here is as gentle as a kitten. Well, as gentle as a 1600 pound kitten that could rip you apart limb by limb. Which let's face it, kittens would totally do if they possessed the strength. Such mischievous creatures."

Snart was staring at the screen intently. All of the Rogues were. They were gathered around the television, watching the events unfold.

Mick spoke up first.

"What's the point of this? Kill all the cops, and then what?"

Cold didn't take his eyes off of the tv.

"This has something to do with the Reverse Flash. He must have broken Jesse out of the pipeline and now he wants the entire city to watch..."

The curtain parted and Axel Walker wheeled out a large object covered in a red sheet. Jesse moved about the stage. The older man conducting himself with an almost frenetic energy.

"My dear friends, I feel I have been completely remiss in my hosting duties. I haven't even introduced our guest of honor! You know him, you love him, you have strange sexual fantasies about him when you are getting it on with your spouses…THE FLASH!"

The younger Trickster pulled off the sheet. The Flash was hanging by his arms from a large circular metal object. His arms and legs completely encased in metal tubes. It looked like he was unconscious.

The camera zoomed in on the superhero.

"Holy shit."

He had been beaten severely. Bruises and blood visible from even the farthest angle.

Hartley leaned in closer to the screen.

"Motion dampeners. Combined with some kind of anti-meta pulses. There's no way he can get out of those. He's…trapped."

The Rogues were completely silent. Each taking in the odd sight in front of them. The Flash, and a vast majority of the cops, were about to be seemingly taken out. So many of their enemies would be dead in a matter of minutes. If Jesse were to succeed, the Rogues would have free reign of Central City.

So why did Roy feel so…uncomfortable at the thought of it?

This was everything the Rogues could hope for. Without the Flash, there wouldn't be anyone who could ever catch them. The cops would be in such disarray from losing so many members of the force, that they would be useless for months. There was no telling the crimes they could commit, the things they could get away with while the "heroes" struggled to recover.

But then people like Jesse and the Reverse Flash would also have the same freedom to do whatever they pleased. And every other sociopath in the city.

Grodd…how many other people would he rip to pieces?

"Oh Flash, baby, don't be so quiet. Your adoring fans are waiting for a rousing speech. Here…" James grabbed the Flash's cheeks and started moving his jaw up and down. "It's ok kids! Eat your breakfast! Stay in school! America! Vote for James Jesse for Mayor, he's the best!" James had made his voice high pitched when he spoke for the Flash. It was more than defeating the Flash, it was embarrassing him. It was showing the world that he was nothing.

Jesse dropped the Flash's face and turned back towards the cameras.

"Oh, you didn't have to say that Flash baby, but I appreciate the support none the less. Amazing stuff! I can tell the people at home are completely reassured."

Cold turned towards Hartley.

"Get a live feed of the pipeline and see if you can tap into the Flash's coms. I want to know where the rest of his team is."

"There they are."

Lisa pointed towards the edge of the stage. Behind several of the cops on their knees, were Caitlin and Cisco.

Hartley hesitated a moment, no doubt as absorbed by what was happening on the screen as Roy was. Slowly he walked over to his laptop and started typing.

"Mick, do we still have all that gear we took from the STAR Labs kids during our prison break?"

"It's in the garage. Len, you're not seriously…"

"Shawna, teleport to the top of the Eastern Central Bank. It should give you the best view. Stay hidden, see if you can spot anyone else. The Tricksters and Grodd, have made themselves known. But I want to know if the Reverse Flash is hiding in the shadows. Or if this is all some sort of diversion."

Roy snorted.

"Hell of a diversion."

Shawna didn't look away from the screen.

"You sure you want us to get involved in this boss man? Seems like they are fine leaving us out of it."

Mardon turned towards Cold.

"Shawna's right. This isn't our fight. I'm not going to risk my life for a bunch of cops. We let them kill each other and the city is ours."

Mick and Lisa nodded in agreement. Hartley was silent, but the kid was probably just too engrossed in his computer to add in his agreement. Even Roy found himself agreeing with Mark. They didn't need to get involved in this.

So there would be a few less cops in the world, that just meant a few less people trying to shoot at Roy. The Rogues could handle anyone who would try to take over or destroy the city. Central was still their city. They could keep the sociopaths in line.

They should stay out of this.

Digger didn't say anything, he had been uncharacteristically silent for the past few minutes. Roy chalked it up to Digger seeing Grodd on the screen. It wasn't too long ago that the gorilla had almost killed the former mercenary.

Cold still didn't turn away from the screen.

"Shawna, go now and report back in three minutes."

Shawna gave Roy a worried look, but then disappeared.

Cold finally turned and looked at the remaining Rogues.

"Last year, the Reverse Flash set us up. Made sure we were all rotting away in the pipeline. We assume it was so that we wouldn't interfere with his plans. I'd wager a guess that Scarlet has been keeping him from realizing those plans over the past year. But now that he has his own little group, he has the upper hand."

"He tried to kidnap Roy to spread fear throughout the city. Now he is using the city's most recognizable terrorist and a gorilla to kill cops in front of the Flash. Then he's going to kill the kid. He wants the people of this city afraid. He wants them to watch all their heroes fall, to know that there won't be anyone out there to save them. Since we intercepted his artifacts, and kept him from getting Roy, he had to improvise."

"But he isn't there. He isn't on the platform. He isn't gloating about his victory. A man like that needs the spotlight. He needs everyone to see his victory. He has to be the one that the people are afraid of so that Parallax will give him the power he needs. Unless…"

"Unless the spotlight isn't where he needs to be to win." Lisa finished her brother's thought. "You think all of this is to make sure there is no one around to stop his real plan."

"Exactly. All of this…"Cold motioned towards the screen. "…is just a show, a distraction. I don't think his real end game has begun."

"Cold. I hacked into the pipeline security and…" Hartley put a live feed up on the TV. Every guard in the pipeline was dead. Although most of the prisoners were still locked up in their cages. Why didn't the Reverse Flash just let them all out?

"The video was looped. ARGUS didn't even know the pipeline had been compromised until Jesse started broadcasting."

Shawna reappeared.

"Looks like just the ones on the screen. RF wasn't anywhere I could see. Doesn't mean he isn't lurking somewhere nearby."

"Mick, grab those mind control blockers out of storage. Grodd is the only meta, but I don't want anyone to turn their backs on either of the Tricksters. For some reason, the Reverse Flash doesn't want anyone to see him, doesn't want people to know he is behind it. So we need to draw him out. Ruin his plans so we can figure out the end game. See how we can move it to our advantage."

"I still don't like this."

"Then stay here Mardon."

For a minute, Roy thought Mark might do just that. Sit down, open a beer, and wish them good luck. Mark smirked.

"So you idiots can get all the glory? It'll make robbing banks easier if they were to give us a key to the city. But just so we are clear, I won't save any cops."

"Noted."

Roy didn't like this plan any more than the rest of the Rogues. But Cold was in charge. If he said it would be better for them to strike now, to get rid of Jesse and his crew, then they would follow.

"Hartley, I want you to find a way to use the mind blocking tech we took from STAR Labs to break the hold Grodd has on those cops. It's got to be taking up a lot of his energy to keep that many people in line. But, make damn sure he can't turn his powers on any of us."

"Working on it."

"Digger, I want you to take out the younger Trickster. He's not a meta, so you shouldn't have any trouble. Avoid killing him if you can."

"Right."

Roy really wasn't liking this taciturn version of Digger. If the mercenary was this worried about this plan, Roy wasn't sure how he should feel.

"Mardon, you hit Grodd with all you've got. Blow him away in a hurricane if that's what you have to do. Shawna, you and Roy are going to get those cops off the stage and to safety. Roy keep them calm, we don't want them snapping out of the mind control and just start shooting everyone they see."

Roy nodded his agreement.

"Lisa, get to Cisco and Caitlin. Once they are free, find out everything you can about what is going on. They might know more about what the Reverse Flash is planning. Then stay hidden, but get close to the stage. Mick and I will distract Jesse. Get Cisco up there to get the Flash free."

Roy didn't feel the same sense of certainty he usually did after Cold finished one of his plans. There was something wrong, something Roy couldn't quite put his finger on. It felt like a memory, or a dream, that kept slipping through his fingers. Something about all this felt so…

Jesse's voice boomed out over the speakers.

"Now then, for my first trick, I will need a volunteer. Einnie, Meenie, Minie….Moe." The Trickster grabbed one of the cops on the stage and yanked him to his feet. "How kind of you to join us, isn't he a great sport ladies and gentlemen? Tell me, what is your name young man?"

"You're insane."

"Interesting. Is that Greek? You're parents must have been quite the jokester's themselves. But wait…" James grabbed the cop's wallet out of his pocket. "Why…it says here your name is David Singh. Captain David Singh, no less. It's hurtful that you would lie to me. I guess I'll just have to teach you a lesson about honesty."

Jesse shoved the cop to his knees. He pulled a strange, almost comical looking gun out of his jacket. Roy had no doubts that gun would do real damage. Captain Singh didn't have much time.

"Hartley."

"Almost got it."

The kid had the mind control inhibitor hooked up to his computer.

"I've only got a radius of 50 yards. I need to hook it up to a larger power source. If I can access the generators powering the speakers, I can boost it so that it will inhibit Grodd's powers for almost the entire block."

"Alright. Shawna, I want everyone on stage. Everyone has their targets. Don't move on it until I give the signal."

The Rogues moved in closer. Grodd couldn't control them as long as Hartley was within 50 yards of them with the inhibitor. Roy took a deep breath. He wouldn't be facing Grodd. Mardon would be able to take out the gorilla, no problem. They could do this.

Shawna teleported them all directly onto the stage.

James Jesse had apparently been counting down to killing the first cop. He stopped and turned towards the newly arrived Rogues.

Everyone was staring at them. The cops, Cisco and Caitlin, Walker, Grodd…

Roy was certain they were all thinking the same thing. That the Rogues were there to help.

To take out the Flash once and for all.

"Gentleman! And lovely ladies. This is a surprise. I'm certain I forgot to send your invitations to our little soiree."

Cold stepped forward. His gun held tightly in his hand.

"Jesse."

"Leonard. Come now, must you always be so dour? So serious? This is a celebration! Look at all the smiling faces! Now, I know I've said some things in the past, made some hurtful…if not completely accurate, comments on you and your little family here. But now isn't the time for old grievances. What do you say, we bury the hatchet? Put 'er there!"

Jesse stuck out his hand.

Roy couldn't see it, but he was willing to bet there was some kind of electric buzzer hidden in Jesse's outstretched hand.

Axel Walker had moved and was now standing behind Jesse. Roy was certain the numbers were in the Rogues favor, that they would have no trouble winning this fight. Giant telepathic gorilla or no.

"Sorry, I was never much for cheap circus tricks."

Jesse lowered his hand. His smile remained, but his eyes flashed dangerously.

"No reason to be rude Leonard."

"Chaos is bad for business. You and you're little group of psychos aren't welcome in my city."

James started laughing.

"Oh Leonard. This is delightful. The Rogues to the rescue! You have to understand why I might find this sudden change of heart so odd." Jesse redirected the gun in his hand and pointed it straight at the cop's head.

"You honestly expect me to believe that you care if I kill this pathetic little policeman. No offense. I'm sure you've worked very hard to become Captain. Kudos to you."

"Of course not. You could kill every cop in the state and I wouldn't care. What I do care about, is the Reverse Flash using you as his puppets."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Never heard of this…Reverse Flash you say?"

"He broke you out of the pipeline. He told you to do this. He's the one in charge. So he's the one I want to talk to."

"I'm almost offended Lenny. Here, I thought we could be friends. Now it appears that you have developed a…" Jesse made a comical vomiting sound. "…conscience. That simply won't do. Tell me since your group is the Rogues, does that make us the Reverse Rogues? Grodd, what do you say we add the Rogues to our audience."

Hartley had slipped away, Roy could see the young genius hooking the mind control inhibitor into the generator.

Grodd took a step forward.

Cold gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Mardon threw a bolt of lightening down in the middle of Jesse and his gang. The three scattered. Grodd roared and charged towards Mardon. Mark was pushing the gorilla back with as much wind as he could create without blowing all of them away.

Roy ran forward and grabbed the police Captain's arm, pulling the man to the side of the stage. Roy immediately turned his powers on the cops there, forcing the ones not under Grodd's power to remain calm. The Rogues didn't need the cops running in and interfering. They would just get in the way.

Shawna started teleporting groups of them away. Roy turned to see how Cold and Mick were handling Jesse when Captain Singh tackled Roy off of the stage.

They hit the grassy ground hard, Roy was certain he felt something in his ribs crack. He was tempted to punch the cop, when the space where they had been standing suddenly exploded. Roy scrambled to his feet. The younger Trickster was running off to the side, another small explosive in his hand.

Where the hell was Digger? He was supposed to be keeping that kid in line. Roy noticed that all the cops behind him were still standing completely in a row. Hartley should have taken care of this by now.

"Piper, what's taking so long with the mind control inhibitor? Piper? Hartley?"

There was no response to Roy's question on the coms. The stage was completely shrouded in an odd smoke. From explosions, Mick and Snart's guns, whatever weather tricks Mardon was using on Grodd.

Hartley should have hooked up the inhibitor and freed Cisco and Caitlin, Jesse shouldn't have been a match for Len and Mick, Digger should have taken out Walker in a matter of seconds, Mardon should have been able to hold Grodd at bay. It should have taken Shawna less than a minute to clear the stage of cops and get the Flash free.

Something was wrong.

They had taken out entire armies in less time.

"It's a trap."

Roy turned his head sharply towards Captain Singh.

"What?"

"This is a trap. Somehow they knew the Rogues would show up. All of this, it wasn't about killing the Flash or destroying the CCPD. This…this was about catching you."

Roy wanted to disagree with the Captain. Wanted to say there was no way the Reverse Flash could have predicted that the Rogues would interfere. They weren't the kind of people who got involved if there was no reward, no advantage. There was no reason for them to be there. No reason that they would show up at the last second for the save. How…how could the Reverse Flash have known they would be here?

"Shit."

Roy reached up to activate his com, he needed to warn…

A boomerang embedded itself in Roy's hand. Roy clutched the bleeding appendage.

Digger was standing only a few feet away. Captain Singh managed to pull his weapon, but he was hit with an electric boomerang and dropped heavily to the ground. Digger pulled another boomerang out of his jacket. This wasn't one of his trick boomerangs, wasn't one of the non-lethal ones he had started carrying when he joined the Rogues.

Roy grabbed the fallen police Captain's gun and pointed it at Digger.

Digger pulled the razor sharp boomerang out and gripped it in his hand.

Roy hesitated. He lowered the gun slightly.

Digger…he…he was being mind controlled. Hartley must be outside the 50 yard range from them. The kid didn't hook the inhibitor up in time. Digger wouldn't…

Digger pulled his arm back.

That asshole was going to kill him. Roy tried to aim the gun back towards Digger, but he knew it wouldn't be fast enough.

Roy activated his powers, trying to hit Digger with fear. But the mercenary wasn't looking directly at Roy. And Roy knew that Digger's aim was good enough that he didn't have to look at his target to hit it.

Roy dove to the side. The boomerang whizzed over Roy's head. Roy tried to move, tried to remember what Digger had told him about avoiding a boomerang on its return flight. A sharp pain in his left leg informed him that he hadn't been quick enough. Roy had dropped the gun during his dive, he couldn't find it anywhere on the ground around him.

Digger was walking slowly towards Roy. Calculated. The man had once been one of the best black ops agents ARGUS had. He could have killed Roy instantly with the first shot. The man was taking his time. Or he had orders not to kill Roy. If Grodd was controlling him, then Digger would want to take Roy alive.

Roy screamed as he pulled the boomerang out of his hand and tried to throw it back at Digger. Harkness snatched it out of the air with little difficulty. Roy didn't attempt to remove the one in his leg. There would be no point. He wasn't any match for Digger.

"Digger, listen to me. You have to…"

Roy didn't know what to say. You have to fight it? You can't let Grodd win? Digger probably couldn't even hear Roy right now. Digger just kept getting closer.

Roy didn't stand a chance. Digger rarely missed. And never at such a close range. Harkness pulled his arm back again. Roy tried to move…

Digger paused, his motions halted for a brief second. He seemed to be looking at Roy strangely. He turned his head towards the cops lined up behind them.

They were starting to move around. Hartley must have done it. He had managed to get the cops free of Grodd's mind control. One of the cops in the front noticed Digger standing over Roy.

"Stop!"

The cop started to pull his gun, the others around him following quickly. Digger threw the boomerang at the cops, causing them to duck and move out of the way. Roy used the distraction to pull himself up quickly and head around to the side of the stage. Roy could hear gunshots, no doubt the cops were targeting Digger. Roy should try to stay hidden. The cops might just start shooting at any Rogue they saw.

The smoke was still in the air but not as thick. Roy didn't see any sign of any of the others. He looked towards where he knew Hartley should be and…

"Shit. Kid."

Roy moved as quickly as he could with a leg wound. He pulled the boomerang out and dropped it to the ground. Hartley was laying on his stomach. There was a large pool of blood around him.

Roy reached Hartley's side and rolled the younger man onto his back.

That dark liquid completely coated Hartley's chest. There was a blood trail leading towards the generators. Hartley had been stabbed several feet away. The genius must have drug himself over here to integrate the inhibitor. Crawled on his hands and knees, to save the rest of the Rogues. All the while, bleeding out on the ground.

Roy put his hands over the wound on Hartley's chest and pushed down hard. The kid didn't respond. Didn't scream. Didn't moan. Didn't even flinch.

The blood was still warm. Still pumping out of Piper's body. The kid was still alive. He…

Roy noticed the blood soaked boomerang only a few feet from Hartley.

Digger had done this. He had stabbed Hartley…

The inhibitor would have protected anyone from Grodd's influence that was this close to the inhibitor. There…there was no way that Grodd could have mind controlled Digger to stab Hartley.

Digger…had betrayed them.

Roy heard footsteps behind him. He couldn't turn. Couldn't look to see if it was Digger come to finish them both off. If he removed his hands, Hartley would bleed to death. He heard a gun click behind him.

"Put your hands in the air! Now!"

Roy didn't recognize the voice. A cop no doubt. Roy didn't have time for this. He needed to get Hartley to a hospital. He needed to warn the others. Hell, he needed to find the others.

Roy turned his head slightly, ready to hit the cop with a dose of fear, when Detective West suddenly appeared.

"Stand down! I said stand down officer!"

The young patrolman lowered his weapon. Roy turned his focus back to Hartley.

The kid still hadn't moved.

And he seemed so much paler.

"Call for the paramedics. Now!"

Detective West kneeled down beside Roy, removing his black suit jacket.

"Let me take over."

Roy wanted to argue. Wanted to say that he needed to help Hartley. The Rogues looked out for each other. The kid was his responsibility. But his arms were aching. He was beginning to feel lightheaded. It also probably wasn't helping that Roy's hand was bleeding all over Hartley's wound.

Roy nodded. The Detective counted to three and they quickly switched places. West pressed down harder on the wound. Roy wanted to believe that the wound wasn't bleeding as badly because Roy had managed to slow it.

Not because the kid was running out of blood to lose.

Roy looked around. The smoke that had consumed the stage was finally clearing.

"The others?"

West kept his eyes firmly on Hartley.

"Haven't seen Rory. Shawna got hit by one of Walker's explosions, knocked her out, busted her up a bit. Caitlin was looking after her. Last I saw, Lisa Snart was with them. She had a few cuts but seemed relatively unharmed. Nimbus joined the fight a few minutes in, helped Grodd take down Mardon…I think they took Mardon with them when they left. I thought I saw Snart chasing after them, but I don't know."

If they took Mardon, they might have taken Mick as well to keep him in line. The way they had taken Digger when they took Roy. Had all of that been a lie? Had Digger been working with the Reverse Flash even then? Had his injuries only been there to make them believe he had tried to protect Roy in the sewer?

"Digger betrayed us. He was working with them."

"You're really surprised by that?"

Roy understood the Detective's disbelief. There was a time when Roy would have put good money on Digger being the first one to betray them.

Hell, Harkness had committed treason. He had turned on the people who trained him, turned on his country, turned on his fellow soldiers. And he was never shy about mentioning it. Never showed any signs that he regretted a single thing he had ever done.

But still…

Digger was a Rogue.

Rogues watch each other's backs. They don't turn on one another.

Damn it.

Roy was honestly surprised that Harkness had turned on them. Especially for people who had tried to kill him so recently. Digger hated the Reverse Flash and Grodd just as much as Roy did. There was no way Digger could have faked his disdain. The man didn't have the filter in his mind necessary to keep up a ruse for that long.

It didn't make any sense.

It…unless Digger had been playing them for longer than even that. Maybe this whole thing had just been a game to him. A way to pass the time until a better offer had come along.

And Roy had fallen for it completely.

They all had.

Paramedics rushed onto the stage. They hooked IVs up to Hartley, put an oxygen mask over his face, pressed bandages over his still bleeding wounds. The paramedics would take care of Hartley. They would fix him up. The kid would be ok.

The kid had to be ok.

Roy moved quietly away from the scene. Detective West was explaining Hartley's injuries to the medics. Roy needed to find the others. Needed to make sure they were safe.

Most of the cops who had been mind controlled were now congregated towards the left side of the stage. Roy didn't see any sign of Digger. The bastard must have escaped.

Roy left the stage and started towards where he saw Caitlin Snow and Lisa standing together.

Shawna wasn't with them.

Roy's leg started to give out, he felt himself start to stumble. He was certain he would have fallen down if a hand didn't suddenly grab his arm.

"Whoa, easy there man. Let's get you sitting down before you bust it."

Cisco had several bruises on his face. He slipped an arm under Roy's shoulder and took some of the weight off of Roy's leg. Roy was grateful but found he didn't have the energy to respond. Cisco was unusually subdued as well. His voice had been quieter, less energetic, than Roy had ever heard it before.

Today had certainly screwed with everyone.

Lisa noticed the pair moving towards her and quickly joined Cisco in helping Roy. They helped him sit down on a park bench.

Dr. Snow immediately started examining his leg.

"This stab wound on your leg looks pretty deep. You're lucky it didn't hit an artery, you would have bled out in seconds."

Lisa was looking worriedly at Roy. Roy returned her gaze.

"Shawna?"

"Explosive blast caused her lung to collapse. They took her to the hospital. Mick and Mardon were taken by Grodd. Lenny…tried to follow them. Haven't been able to reach anyone else on the coms."

Roy nodded tiredly.

"Hartley was stabbed in the chest, he's bleeding badly. They are taking him to the hospital now." Roy hesitated for a moment. He didn't know why. Eventually they all had to know what happened.

"Digger stabbed him."

"What?"

"Seriously? I thought Captain Boomerang was with you guys?"

"He is. Was he being…"

"No. Hartley had the inhibitor, it would have prevented anyone close to him from being mind controlled. Not to mention…Digger is the one who stabbed me as well." Roy held up his bleeding hand. "Twice."

Lisa was staring at Roy. She was speechless. Roy found a little comfort in the fact that he wasn't the only one completely blindsided by Digger's sudden turn.

Dr. Snow finished wrapping Roy's leg. She took his hand and started examining it.

"You need stiches, both in your leg and hand. You said Hartley was stabbed in the chest? Was he stable when they transported him?"

"I don't know…I don't think so…"

Dr. Snow's lips pursed into a thin line.

"I'm sure Hartley will pull through. He's…" Caitlin paused, as though not sure exactly how to finish that sentence. When she resumed speaking, her voice was hesitant. "You…you guys had to know that a mercenary like Harkness couldn't be…"

"Really not the time doc." Lisa's voice was light, but there was an anger simmering just below the surface.

Doctor Snow closed her mouth. She looked toward Cisco. The young engineer spoke up.

"We got the Flash somewhere safe thanks to you guys. So…it looks like we owe you."

Roy sighed. A lot of good that favor was going to do them. The Rogues had taken too many hard hits today. Lisa looked at Roy.

"It was a trap. The Reverse Flash lured us here. He wanted Roy alive, and the rest of us dead. So we wouldn't be able to come after him. So he could finally go through with whatever his plan is."

Cisco opened his mouth, then closed it again quickly. He shot a look at Caitlin. There was something there...

Lisa suddenly put a hand to her gun. Detective West and Captain Singh were walking towards them.

Huh.

Roy hadn't really thought about the fact that the cops were now going to arrest them all.

Surprisingly neither Roy nor Lisa were immediately handcuffed. Which was a good thing, Roy hadn't used his powers much today but he wasn't sure he would be very good in a fight right now.

Roy couldn't stop staring at the stains on Detective West's sleeves. At how far up the cloth they traveled. Roy was avoiding looking at his own shirt. Knowing exactly what he would see there.

"The paramedics are taking Rathaway to Central General. The same place Shawna was taken. Both of them needed emergency surgery. We are going to post 24 hour details outside of their rooms, once they are out of the woods we will move them to a more secure location. Both of you will be under constant police protection as well."

That was an odd way of saying they were being arrested.

Captain Singh motioned to Roy.

"How is he?"

Dr. Snow answered.

"A few inches to the left and his femoral artery would have been severed. You're lucky Boomerang missed."

Roy really didn't know Digger to miss that often. He must have had orders to incapacitate Roy. Make it so he couldn't run away. Couldn't escape once Roy was turned over to the Reverse Flash.

"Alright, I'm sure both of you want to check on your injured teammates. When we locate your brother we will send him to General as well."

Lisa looked at the police Captain skeptically.

"You aren't arresting us."

"If you and your crew hadn't interfered, myself and my entire squad would be dead. When this is all over, we will discuss your potential incarceration. But at the moment, it would appear that we are all on the same side. And I get the feeling that if we are going to beat this…Reverse Flash, we are going to need all the help we can get. Detective, I'm putting you in charge of their protection duty."

"Yes sir."

Captain Singh nodded at them and then walked away.

"Well, that was unexpected."

"The Captain's right. Whatever the Reverse Flash is planning, he wanted to eliminate the Rogues just as much as he wanted to take out the rest of us. We have a common enemy. And until that enemy is defeated, we are going to have to work together."

Roy shared a look with Lisa. Maybe it was the blood loss talking, but Roy thought that might actually make some sense.

Lisa smirked. Though it wasn't nearly as bright as her usual smile. She was trying to hide how rattled she was from today.

"Does this mean we get badges?"

Cisco cracked a smile.

"Good luck with that, I've been asking for one of those for ages."

Roy sighed. He just wanted to find a bed and lay down for a few years. But that wasn't possible. Not with Cold, Mick, and Mardon missing. Not with Shawna and Hartley so injured.

Not with Digger still alive out there.

Roy should have killed him when he had the chance. Should have just shot the bastard and been done with it.

But he had hesitated.

Roy had thought Digger was one of them, thought that he was being mind controlled. He had given the mercenary the benefit of the doubt.

Roy had no intention of making that mistake again.

Next time, there would be no hesitation.

Next time, there would be no mercy.

The Reverse Flash had set this all in motion. He was going to suffer for this as well. He was going to regret starting a war with the Rogues.

Roy would make damn sure of that.

 

* * *

 

There was blood on her boot.

She wasn't really sure whose blood it was. Probably Shawna's, though it could have been Roy's as well. She sighed slowly. Not really anything around she could use to clean it off with. It would just have to stay there.

Lisa hated hospitals.

An aversion she had developed at an early age. Too many nights laying alone on a cold bed. Being told by well meaning doctors and nurses that she needed to be more careful.

That she needed to stop getting into so many accidents. Stop "falling" so much. She grew to hate that quiet tone the doctors would use. The ones that were meant to be comforting but always sounded so false. Always sounded like they knew it was all a lie.

That they knew the truth. But weren't going to do anything to truly help her. That she would eventually be right back in that bed before too long.

That was never the worst part though.

The worst part was when she would wake up in the middle of the night and realize that she was safe. Realize that her father couldn't reach her while she was in the hospital. And then automatically remember that Lenny wasn't in the hospital with her. That he wasn't safe. He was alone in the house with their father. Who would only be angrier that he had been forced to take Lisa to the hospital. Forced to pay for their weaknesses.

Lisa took a breath and tried to readjust herself in the hard plastic chair of the waiting room.

Roy was asleep down the hall. Shawna was being moved to the ICU.

Hartley was still in surgery.

Seven hours later and he was still in surgery.

The doctors had initially said that Hartley was lucky. That the blade had missed his heart by centimeters. If it hadn't, Hartley would have died on the scene.

The blade from a razor sharp boomerang.

Lisa tried not to think about Digger. Tried to ignore any thoughts related to that piece of…

"Coffee?"

Cisco handed her a white plastic cup.

She took it, even though she had no intention of drinking it.

She tried to smile at the engineer's thoughtfulness.

"Don't you have better things to do than watch over a bunch of criminals?"

ARGUS had come through not too long ago. Lisa had seen Detective West talking to them, Cisco had been there as well. It had looked like quite the argument. She knew ARGUS wouldn't try to take the Rogues, they still had their deal with Waller. It seemed ARGUS originally wanted to be a part of the search for the Tricksters and Grodd.

And Mark and Mick.

But now it looked like ARGUS was going to have to stay out of it. They were going to have to check the security of the pipeline. Half their forces in the area had been slaughtered during the prison break. And there were still prisoners to watch over. They had to be certain the Reverse Flash wouldn't try and break more meta criminals out, spread more fear. Create more panic.

She could probably get some more information out of Cisco if she played it right.

"Naw…I mean…you guys saved our asses. So like I said, we owe you. Plus you know…"

Cisco's eyes kept darting towards the hallway where Hartley was being operated on. Lisa knew that Cisco and Hartley had worked together. Although it didn't seem like the two of them had gotten along very well. Hartley had apparently been even more uptight then. Which was hard to imagine.

Still.

It's hard to make yourself not care when someone you know is fighting for their life. Especially considering the kind of man Cisco was. Good men couldn't help caring about others.

"You're worried about Hartley."

"What? No…that's ridiculous. I mean I am worried in the sense that one human being worries about another injured human being in a stressful scenario. It's nothing more than that. The guy was always a huge dick. How do you guys put up with him? Seriously, I have been wondering that since he joined the Rogues. I've even made a few flow charts and PowerPoint presentations. Does Raider have to like constantly calm people down whenever Hartley is in the room? How do you keep from just punching him in the face…"

Cisco tended to ramble when he tried to lie. It was adorable.

"He's funny."

"Funny? Funny? Charlie Chaplin is funny. Back to the Future is funny. Hartley Rathaway is not funny."

"Maybe you just don't understand his humor. He…"

A doctor pushed his way through the doors. Lisa recognized him as one of the surgeons working on Hartley.

Lisa stood up and walked purposely forward. Cisco trailed right behind her.

The doctor's face was grim.

"Mr. Rathaway has lost a great deal of blood. We thought we might lose him once or twice on the table, but he managed to pull through. I don't want to give you false hope, but if he survives the night, I will feel a great deal more optimistic about his chances."

Lisa heard Cisco release a breath.

"Oh thank god."

Lisa turned and smirked at Cisco. He gave a sheepish grin in response.

"I mean…"

Lisa turned back to the doctor.

"Thank you doctor."

The surgeon nodded.

Lisa released her own cautious breath.

They had gotten lucky. It would appear that each of the injured Rogues would survive. There might be a chance that their odd little family would remain intact.

Except for Digger of course.

Lisa was going to rip his throat out with her fingernails.

Mick and Mardon were still missing. And Len had yet to make a reappearance.

She was safe in the hospital and Len was out there alone…

"Hey…" Cisco put a hand on Lisa's back. "I'm sure you're brother is fine too."

Lisa immediately tried to school her features. She hadn't realized she was starting to slip. That Cisco could read her that easily…

It had been a long day. That was all it was.

"I know."

Cisco's knowing smile suggested she hadn't imbued her statement with the right amount of bravado.

"Should we maybe try to call Hartley's parents?"

Even as he suggested it, Lisa could tell that Cisco knew that was a bad idea.

"They were bound to have seen what happened on the news. They know he's here, they just don't care."

"I'm sure they…"

Cisco didn't finish the sentence. Lisa always found it so odd how people tried to justify parental abandonment. Saying things like…

"Their generation handled things differently."

"They were probably raised in an abusive home, and don't know any differently."

"I'm sure they still love you, they just show it differently than others."

Some people were incapable of truly loving another person. That didn't change when they had kids. It just made things difficult for everyone involved.

So Lisa prepared herself for whatever well meaning, but completely insulting thing Cisco was going to say.

"…nah screw it. What a bunch of dicks. They should be here. They're heartless tools if they don't show."

Lisa gave into the impulse and gave Cisco a quick kiss on the cheek. She knew she had been right about this one.

"It's ok Cisco. The only family Hartley needs is already here…"

"Good to know sis."

Lisa turned quickly. Len was standing behind her. His parka and goggles conspicuously missing. He looked tired and…

"What the hell is this?"

Lisa grabbed Len's arm. There was a bandage wrapped around his left arm, overtop of his shirt. There were blood stains seeping through it.

"Lisa, it's nothing."

"Bullshit."

He always did that. Always downplayed any injury. Any sign that could be conceived as weakness.

Cisco took a step away from them.

"I'm going to go get a doctor."

"That's not necessary."

Lisa shot a glare at her brother and Cisco. Cisco put his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"Yea, no offense. But she scares me more than you do at the moment. So I'll just…"

Cisco turned and walked away quickly.

Lisa turned her full attention back to Len. The bandage seemed to be the worst of it. She tried to look at his stance, his posture, see if he was attempting to hide any other injuries.

"What happened?"

"I managed to follow the van that took Mick and Mardon for a ways. It was headed towards the outskirts of town. But before I could find out where exactly, the car I was in suddenly popped a tire. I ended up in a ditch and when I came to, I saw a boomerang in one of the tires."

She was going to dig her nails into Digger's eyes and rip them out while he screamed in agony.

"The cops were kind enough to bring me here instead of arresting me. One of them let me know that Hartley was injured."

"Not just Hartley. He's out of surgery, doctor thinks he will pull through but it's going to be rough. Digger stabbed him, almost killed him. Digger went after Roy too, got him twice. Shawna got hit by one of Walker's bombs, she's in ICU. Roy should be fine in a day or so, but the other two are going to be out of commission for a while. Sounds like the Flash was injured badly, so the cops are looking for any type of help in dealing with the Reverse Flash and his goons."

"And we happen to fit the bill."

"We do go up against the Flash on a regular basis. They assume that means we can take on the Reverse as well."

Which it did. The Rogues would destroy everyone who was associated with what happened today. Lisa just hoped she would get to be there when Digger was taken down.

Len sighed.

He was looking towards the ICU.

She knew that look.

When Len was twelve he had gone over to a friends house to spend the night. A birthday party or something. She knew how much he had wanted to go. How much he had just wanted to be normal for a night, just like any other kid without a care in the world. Lisa wondered if Len had had fun that night.

She never found out. When Len came back the next morning, Lisa had three new bruises and a split lip.

Len never went to another sleepover.

Even after her bruises had faded and her lip had healed, Len would still give her that look. That "I should have been here to protect you" look. The "I should have known better" look.

Len had that same look in his eyes now.

Nope.

Now was not the time for her big brother to doubt himself. To think about what would have happened if they had just sat this one out like most of them had wanted. Now was not the time for blame or regrets. Time for a little sisterly encouragement.

"Of course. I told them that the Rogues couldn't help them. Seeing as the great Captain Cold had been so spectacularly wrong about the last mission. And his poor little ego can't take even the thought of failure. So he's going to be wallowing in self pity for the next few days instead of finding our enemies and making them suffer. He will be basically useless."

Lenny turned towards her and smirked.

"Thanks for that."

"Always looking out for you big brother."

"I know."

Len took her hand. For a moment they just stood there, silently thinking about all the times they had been in a hospital. How this was the first time they had ever been together while waiting on news of an injured family member.

Cisco started to come up the hallway, so Lenny dropped her hand.

Her tough big brother. Couldn't let anyone see his weaknesses.

Except her of course. She knew them all.

They were her weaknesses too.

"Go to bed sis." His eyes darted towards Cisco. "Alone. We have a big day tomorrow. I'll watch over things here."

"You're no fun Lenny."

Tomorrow, they were going to hunt those bastards down. Tomorrow, their enemies were going to be the ones who learned a thing or two about fear.

No one hurts a member of the Snart family and gets away with it.

No one.


	7. Chapter 7

Roy often found it odd how different people reacted to the same set of circumstances. Being in a room with the cops that made up the Rogues Task Force, as well as Team Flash, was particularly enlightening. Perhaps it was the fact that there were only three Rogues present at this meeting that made the RTF think they could order the Rogues around. Or the fact that Roy was the only meta human in the room, and he was currently sporting two very large bandages.

He was wearing his shades as well, Cold was at least going to pretend that they were cooperating.

"The three of you will stay behind in the van while we search the building." A building the cops only knew about because Cisco had been able to find a large abandoned complex using Cold's intel. "If you stay out of our way…"

Roy had honestly stopped listening to Lieutenant…

Shit, he had already forgotten the man's name. Oh well. Roy glanced over to the Snart siblings, the only other two Rogues present. The only other Rogues that were mobile, and not captured by a sociopath.

Neither of the Snarts were paying any attention either. Not that you could tell by looking at them. Cold had nodded at the appropriate times, and had been generally rather agreeable. Which should have been a warning sign in of itself.

Roy turned his attention to his bandaged hand. He flexed it a few times, feeling the stitches pull. The wound on his leg didn't hurt badly…at least not with the pain medication he was on. He even managed to walk with only a slight limp.

His wounds were nowhere near as severe as the others. Shawna had briefly woken up but was still mostly out of it. Hartley…Hartley was still on a respirator. Still barely holding on. Lisa had assured Roy that Hartley was looking much better than he had a few days ago.

Roy had only been able to see Hartley for a few minutes at the hospital today. Roy couldn't imagine how the kid could look any worse.

The Flash was apparently still out of commission, although Cisco had assured them that the Flash would be up and ready by tomorrow night. Which was when they were supposed to storm the complex. The RTF insisting that their enemies wouldn't be expecting a full frontal attack so soon.

Jesse and Grodd would see the strike force coming from a mile away. No doubt this place would be booby-trapped to high heaven. But the Lieutenant had ignored Cold's suggestion of letting the Rogues go in quietly. Keeping the rest of the forces back until they could scope out the complex, disable any tricks they might come across. Even now, the pompous man was dismissive of Cold's input.

"If we find the main power line we can disconnect…"

"This is a police operation, not a bank robbery. If we need advice on how to steal a jewel while we are inside, you will be the first person we contact."

It was a good thing Mick wasn't here. This meeting would have ended in bloodshed. The way Lisa was casually sharpening her fingernails, it still might. Speaking of their missing members…

Cisco pulled an image up on the screen.

"We think that Mardon and Rory are being held here. In the 4th building back from the main gate entrance. I've recorded some irregular temperature and pressure drops in there so…" The Lieutenant cut in. His disdain for the situation apparently spread to the STAR Labs kids as well.

"So this is where we will focus our efforts. Mardon is supposedly being mind controlled by Grodd…" Supposedly. That was the word that was being bandied about. The cops didn't believe that Mick and Mardon had been taken by force. The RTF seemed to be under the impression that they had left willingly. That they had been offered a better deal and had betrayed the rest of the Rogues without a second thought.

Just like Digger.

"…so we need to neutralize him first before…" Cold interrupted the Lieutenant, his voice conveying none of the annoyance that Roy was certain their leader was feeling.

"Neutralize his powers you mean. That is why Cisco created the weather grounding device, correct? So that Mardon's powers wouldn't work and Grodd would have no reason to hold him. So that we can retrieve our missing members without any…accidents."

"…Of course." Roy didn't believe the Lieutenant for a second. This was an opportunity for the RTF to eliminate Mardon. To get rid of a powerful meta with a personal grudge against the police. If they got the opportunity, they wouldn't ask questions, they wouldn't try to help Mardon, they would just take him out.

They would probably get medals for it.

Cold glared at the Lieutenant. If Roy didn't believe the cop's bullshit, there was no way that Cold would. Roy was just waiting for this little charade to be over. For the cops to leave so that Cold could tell him what the real plan was.

Detective West stepped between the two men.

"We all know the plan. No one is going to hurt the captured Rogues." Roy didn't miss how several members of the RTF scoffed at the word captured. Even Detective West had said the word with a tint of disbelief. "We are all in this together. Right?"

Cold smirked.

"Of course Detective."

The Lieutenant continued to glare at the Rogues. Eventually he ground out a very insincere "Of course."

The meeting ended a few minutes later. The RTF filed out of the conference room quickly. Detective West and the rest of Team Flash lingered behind. West closed the door. He turned and looked at Cold.

"Don't."

"To what are you referring, Detective?"

"Whatever you're planning, don't do it. Let the RTF…"

"Let a group that has dedicated the last several months of their lives to hunting down and…neutralizing us, be in charge of the safety of my missing team members? Of course Detective, I can't foresee any problems with that plan."

"Mardon…"

"Is under Grodd's control."

"You don't know that."

"I do. He wouldn't…"

"What? Wouldn't betray you? You would have said the same thing about Harkness right?" Detective West took Cold's momentary silence as acceptance and plowed on. "You can't be sure Mardon didn't leave willingly. That this isn't just another trap. Another mind game cooked up by the Reverse Flash to capture or kill the rest of you."

Cold glared at West. If Cold had any doubts about Mardon's loyalty, he sure as hell wasn't going to admit it to a cop.

"You might not care if Mick or Mardon survive this, but I do. And I have no intention of leaving their fates in the hands of people who would rather see them both dead. Present company included."

"Now wait a minute…"

"You would consider it Detective. You tell yourself you wouldn't, but in the moment, in heat of battle, you would. You worry that Mardon might come for his revenge one day. That he might go after that daughter of yours to get to you. Maybe even a part of you wants revenge for his brother killing your old partner. Oh you might not consciously want to kill Mardon. But a part of you would be willing to let him die if it came to it. You wouldn't react as quickly. You would hesitate for just a second too long. Nothing that anyone would ever be able to prove of course. But we would know…I would know. So you might want to explain to the RTF, that if something happens to Mick or Mardon on this little raid of yours, I will know it wasn't an accident. And the Rogues will retaliate accordingly."

West didn't reply to Cold's accusation or his threat. He glanced quickly towards Roy and Lisa then back to Cold. The Detective raised a finger. He looked a bit like a principal scolding a misbehaving student.

"You stay here, under constant guard. For your own safety."

West left the room. Cisco and Caitlin stood off to the side. Clearly they wanted to follow Detective West. But there was something holding them back. Something they wanted to do or say but didn't quite know how to get it out. Cold was staring at the open door that West had walked out of. At the two uniformed police officers standing on either side of it.

"Well, this is hella awkward."

"I don't know, seems to be going rather well. Nice and cozy now." Lisa winked at Cisco. The boy blushed and turned back to his schematics.

Caitlin walked over to Roy.

"You shouldn't flex your hand like that, you could pull the stitches."

She instinctually reached for his hand and started checking the bandages. Roy wondered when Cisco and Caitlin had gotten so used to being around the Rogues. Cisco, Roy could understand. The boy's interest in Lisa was obvious. But Caitlin had once been taken hostage by Cold and Mick, even Roy had once held a gun to her head. But she treated them like they were any other patients. Roy wondered at that, at the sort of compassion it took to look past the terrible things someone had done and still want to help them.

Roy didn't think he had that type of compassion in him. He knew that when the Rogues caught up to Digger it was only going to end one way. There was nothing the man could do or say that would change that.

Not after seeing what he had done to Hartley.

Roy wasn't sure Cold was going to let any of their enemies live this time.

"Was there something you wanted to tell us Cisco?"

Cold turned towards the engineer.

"What?...No. I mean…You heard Detective West. You guys are like in no shape for a full on fight, I mean your only meta can barely walk. And you got your asses handed to you when you were all at full strength so…"

Cisco's voice petered out under Cold's glare. Roy didn't want to say that the kid had a point, but…

The kid had a point.

Jesse, Walker, Grodd, and Nimbus had all walked away from that fight without a scratch. The Reverse Flash had been behind it all and he hadn't even shown up. That psycho was still waiting in the wings, still at his full power. Meanwhile, the Rogues had suffered greatly.

They were depending on the cops for protection for god's sake. He didn't know if they could sink any lower than that.

"You're right Cisco."

"I am?"

"It's been a long day. We need to rest up for the job tomorrow."

"Oh. Right, we will just…Waaiiittt. You guys just want us to leave so you can plan something right? Like, the second I walk out these doors is Bivolo going to use his powers on the guards? Cause pretty sure you guys won't make it very far."

"Cisco's right. The Reverse Flash…whatever he wants. He wants you guys dead. He tried to kidnap Roy once before, nearly succeeded in killing Harkn... You could be playing right into his hands."

Caitlin was moving towards Cold. Neither her nor Cisco seemed to be afraid of them any more.

They almost seemed…genuinely worried about them.

Cold shared a quick look with Lisa. She gave him a small smirk in response.

"We have no intention of breaking out tonight. Like you said, Roy can barely walk…"

"He shouldn't be putting any weight on that leg." Caitlin turned back towards him. "You should really have it propped up." She quickly moved another chair towards him, she was reaching for a pillow when a thought occurred to Roy.

This was more than genuine concern. Oh of course, that was a part of it. But there was something else there. Something just below the surface. It was barely detectable, but Roy could see it.

Guilt.

Cisco and Caitlin felt guilty about something.

Oh.

"You knew."

Caitlin's hands froze, the pillow only a few inches from his leg.

Cold and Lisa turned towards Roy. The siblings gave him identical questioning looks.

"You knew the thing with Jesse was a trap for us. That the Reverse Flash set it up to get to us."

"We didn't know that the rally was about you guys, we thought…"

"But you knew he was after us?" Cold was looking at Cisco and Caitlin with disdain. "You knew he was planning something, and you let us walk right into it."

"It's not like that." Caitlin moved a few steps only for Lisa to block her way.

"Then what was it exactly? You used us for bait? Figured we would be expendable…"

"No! God no. That's not it. We…only just started to realize what the Reverse Flash was planning. He's trying to destroy the Flash…"

Lisa interrupted Caitlin. Her voice dripping sweetness and venom.

"We knew that part. How about we skip to the part where Hartley and Shawna almost died because of you?"

Cisco was moving his hands nervously. No doubt debating how much he should tell a group of criminals. A group of very angry criminals.

"Ok, so there is this ancient god like thing known as Parallax…"

Cold put his hand on his gun. Roy wasn't entirely sure it was just for effect.

"We know about that, got one of his artifacts propping up a table at the safe house."

"Oh…that was you guys? Of course it was you guys…look so according to the legends, Parallax was a fear god right? And back in the olden days people would offer up sacrifices to Parallax. Except, from the incredibly traumatizing records we have translated, it wasn't just killing some poor sap on an alter. The person had to be literally scared to death. And trust me you do not want to know the kind of messed up techniques they used. I mean I am still having nightmares just having read about them and there was this one way where they would take spiders and…"

"Cisco…focus."

"Right. Sorry. So the legend was that Parallax would reward his followers who were particularly skilled in the art of using fear as a weapon. Reward them with powers that no one could explain. Imbue artifacts with the power to 'make oneself an enemy to all'. Whatever that means. We think that is why the Reverse Flash has focused on Bivolo. All he has to do is point Roy in the right direction and Boom! Instant fear. But he wasn't able to grab Roy at the rally like he wanted."

"Hartley was able to disrupt Grodd's powers, delaying Harkness from getting to Roy. Once they realized they were about to have dozens of cops firing at them, the band of misfit toys had no choice but to bail. But they managed to grab Mardon…"

Cold and Lisa finished Cisco's thought.

"Who could create a tidal wave or several tornados…"

"To instill the same kind of fear."

"Exactly, we think he is going to go ahead with his plans to summon Parallax or whatever it is, using Mardon instead of Roy. Mardon can kill thousands, the Reverse Flash probably thinks that the body count will outweigh the fact that he doesn't have the strongest fear possible…which might also explain why Grodd killed those people at the apartment. I mean, everyone knew that Pete dude was lying about having a meta who could turn people's fears real. We were able to figure that out pretty quick. We…think he knew Roy would go there, knew that he was an old cellmate. And he waited until…"

"Grodd ripped all those people to shreds, to make my powers stronger?"

"Yea….I mean, we don't know that for sure. Could be that this Pete guy just had really, really bad luck. But, the stronger your emotions are, the stronger the emotions you will instill in others will be. And, that's kind of the Reverse Flash's thing, make his opponents stronger and then use their powers for his own twisted needs."

Cold seemed to process all the information Cisco and Caitlin had given them quickly.

"So you knew he was going to target Roy since the massacre at Roxalana, and you didn't think to warn us?"

"We…we were going to. Seriously, like one hundred percent we were going to tell you. We needed to figure out what he was after, and make a plan. I mean we weren't super sure that was what he wanted until Flash found Roy in the sewers and then it all kind of clicked into place, and then we got distracted with some other stuff…And…We just…we didn't expect you to show up and…save us. We thought we had more time to…"

"Get out."

Cold's tone brokered no argument, the underlying threat in his words was clear, but still they hesitated. Caitlin stepped towards Cold.

"We…we thought we had it under control, that the risks outweighed the…"

"Get. Out."

There was no hesitation this time.

Cold closed the door on the retreating former STAR Labs employees. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. Lisa put a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Not like we didn't know we couldn't trust them."

Cold shrugged off his sister's hand.

"If the plan was to get to Roy, why did Digger try to kill him?"

"Digger's not the best at following orders. Maybe he was just going to disable Roy as much as possible?"

"You guys know I'm sitting right here."

"No offense Roy. But you heard the eggheads. You were the focus. If we can…"

"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what the Reverse Flash wants, or why he took them. We are getting them back. And we can't do it here."

Finally.

Roy sat straighter in his chair, pushing the pain in his hand and leg out of his mind.

"So…what's the actual plan boss?"

Getting past the guards was easier than even Roy had thought it would be. The Snart siblings may not be metas, but they were incredibly intelligent strategists. Plus they both had a mean right hook.

Lisa hotwired a car outside and they drove back to the safe house. Cold had yet to fully explain the plan. Roy knew they had to go back to get more weapons. Regroup, then head out.

"Since we are low on team mates, we are going to have to up our firepower. Everyone is going to be carrying a weapon, including you Roy."

Once they were back at the safe house, Cold pulled out Hartley's computer. Cold started to recalibrate Hartley's program that blocked Grodd's influence. Altering it with information Cisco had provided, so that their earpieces would be enough to block the telepathic gorilla, and so that they could carry extras for Mick and Mardon.

Lisa starting bringing out weapons from the armory. Every excess weapon they had yet to get around to selling was thrown into a pile on the floor. Roy sat down on an unopened crate and started opening a few of the duffel bags he knew contained grenades and explosives.

He paused when he opened a bag containing half completed boomerangs. He stared at them for a moment, not really sure what to do with them. Lisa saw his hesitation and walked over. She reached down and pulled out one of the boomerangs. It wasn't one of the trick ones that exploded or electrocuted someone. This is one of the razor sharp ones. The ones he used to stab Roy.

To almost kill Hartley.

Lisa slid the boomerang through her belt, it gleamed on her side.

"I'm going to stab that asshole in the heart with one of his own weapons. Karma can be a real bitch like that."

Roy nodded, then looked back into the bag again.

It felt so odd. To think only a few days ago Roy had been watching Digger sit at the kitchen table and rig some of his explosive boomerangs. Talking to him about some random thing that Roy couldn't even remember. Had Digger known then that the weapons he was building would be used on his own teammates? That he would be trying to kill the same people who had risked their lives for his countless times?

He had to have.

And he had just laughed and drank and acted like he didn't have a care in the world.

Roy zipped the bag and tossed it away from the weapons pile.

He couldn't believe he had fallen for it. That they had all believed that the mercenary gave a shit about any of them.

It had all been a game to Digger.

Their lives meant nothing to him.

Lisa handed Roy a gun of some kind, then she picked up a missile launcher and stared down the sight.

Roy raised an eyebrow. Lisa smirked.

"Every girl knows that an outfit isn't complete without the proper accessories."

Roy didn't know how she was planning on being covert with a missile launcher strapped to her back, but if anyone could pull it off it would be Lisa.

He moved his leg slightly and a sharp pain raced up his body. He hissed at the sudden reminder of his injury. He was going to have to take more drugs in order to get through this. Lisa looked at him worriedly.

"You up for this Roy?"

"Sure. Why not."

"If you can't…"

"I'll be fine."

Which was probably a lie. He was going to have to make sure he grabbed a few vials of morphine before they left. He couldn't let Cold and Lisa go into this alone. They wouldn't stand a chance against so many enemies. Not that he would be able to do much good, but he had to try.

If Jesse hadn't grabbed Mardon, they would have taken him. Roy was the one that the Reverse Flash had really wanted.

The one that could cause the most fear. It would make sense for Roy to stay behind.

He shook the thought quickly from his mind. Barely letting it register.

Mick and Mardon were Rogues, and there was no way in hell he was going to leave them to die for some sociopath's plan.

Cold walked over and handed them earpieces. Lisa handed her brother a few extra guns as well.

"We have to go in quietly. They are going to know we will be coming and will have traps set up in preparation. Once the shit hits the fan, do what you have to do. Anyone who isn't Mick or Mardon, you shoot to kill."

Roy nodded. He had assumed the no-kill policy no longer applied.

"I've managed to pull up some plans of the complex. There is a sewer line that runs from a nearby factory right underneath the building we believe they are keeping Mardon in. It's how Grodd has been able to move between the two without being seen. We will enter through the factory, walk through the sewer line until we reach this junction, and here is where we will set a trap for Grodd. We need to neutralize him first so that he can't take control of us or of Mardon. Once we enter the warehouse, there will be a security station on the second floor. If we can get there, we will be able to keep eyes out for our missing members. Extraction is the main goal. Don't go looking for fights if you can avoid them. Once we have Mick and Mardon, then we can focus on settling scores."

Roy and Lisa looked at the plans. It was a clear entry point. Which also made it the perfect place for them to be attacked. For Jesse or Grodd to be lying in wait for them.

Lisa looked at her brother.

"Lot of question marks here. Lot of way this could go wrong."

"I know. But we don't have a choice. The Reverse Flash will know we are coming any time, so he will be getting on with his ritual soon. And the longer we wait, the more time we give them to set up more traps. I…I don't know what we will find once we get inside. But we stick together, and we watch each other's backs. Which is more than Jesse or any of his team will do. If we can separate them, if we can show them that we aren't backing down, they will cave."

Roy nodded at that. He thought back to the time before the Rogues, to when the metas had been sprung from the transport at Ferris Air. The first thought they each had when things when sideways was to watch their own back. Screw anyone else.

That was the way that Jesse, Grodd, Walker, and Nimbus would fight.

And that was how they would lose.

* * *

If Roy had known that joining the Rogues meant he would spend so much time in sewers with murderous telepathic gorillas, he might have declined Snart's original offer to join.

The pain in his leg was a mild hum, easily ignored with the help of pain killers. Probably more than were medically recommended, but there was a job to do. Plus, all the good artists had some kind of drug addiction. He was just leaning into the stereotype.

They moved quietly, hyperaware of the fact that Grodd was somewhere nearby. And that they were most likely walking into a trap. It didn't help that Jesse had spray painted ROGUES THIS WAY with a large arrow on the wall.

"Subtle."

Cold kept moving, ignoring the writing. He and Lisa had their guns out, ready to fire at any moment. Both had large canvas bags full of weapons and anti-meta devices strapped to their backs. They hoped by moving quickly they could at least catch their enemies slightly off guard. Cold made a hand motion and they all stopped.

Roy could hear it now. The slight sound of someone very large, breathing slowly. It was still early morning. Even telepathic gorillas had to sleep at some point. They might have gotten lucky. Might be able to get past Grodd without a fight.

Lisa pulled a canister out of her bag. The gas should knock Grodd out, keeping him out for at least an hour. She lifted her arm to toss it around the corner, when Cold suddenly grabbed her hand.

She looked at her brother for a moment before lowering her arm.

Cold moved around the corner, his gun outstretched before him. He lowered it slightly. Roy and Lisa followed behind him.

In the middle of the room was small stuffed gorilla with a tape recorder on its chest.

"Shit."

Roy barely got the word out before Grodd dropped down from an access tunnel above them. His loud growl filled the room. Cold jumped to the left. Lisa tackled Roy to the right. They landed painfully, just as one of Grodd's massive arms missed their heads by inches.

Roy could feel this odd pressure at the back of his mind, like someone pushing their hand against the inside of his skull. Grodd was trying to reach into their minds, trying to take over. Grodd looked frustrated by his inability to control them. He released another angry roar before rearing up to strike.

A blast of bright light encompassed Grodd's legs. Cold was standing behind the gorilla and…oh.

Grodd broke the ice holding his legs and charged at Cold. Picking the man up and slamming him into wall.

Lisa fired a few rounds from a pistol at Grodd before throwing it down in frustration. Her gold gun had fallen out of her holster and skittered across the room when they had jumped out of the way. She grabbed a knife from her belt and jumped onto Grodd's back, stabbing him in the neck.

Grodd dropped Cold, but flung Lisa across the room. She smacked into some pipes and they bent on impact. Roy activated his powers, trying to put all of his focus into calm.

It wasn't easy, the adrenaline and fear at being so close to Grodd again kept causing his powers to weaken. To switch between emotions. He could feel his fear struggling against the calm. He caught Grodd's eyes, the gorilla froze for a moment. Then it moved one foot forward a few inches.

Damnit.

Calm.

He needed to focus on calm.

Breathe Roy. Breathe.

Grodd moved slowly another step forward. His movements were jerky, if Roy didn't get control of his emotions Grodd would break free and kill him. Which wasn't the best thing to think about when trying to remain calm.

He focused on breathing. On the techniques Shawna had taught him.

"In and out Roy. That's all that matters. Don't think about anything else. Just in and out."

Eventually he had managed calming breaths. It had taken him several sessions, several days of learning how to breathe again.

"You learn this at nursing school?"

"Yoga."

"Seriously?"

"They used to have free classes at the Y across from my school. Kept me out of trouble there for a while."

"Hm."

She had punched him in the arm for that.

"I was like thirteen, I was a model citizen." She had been laughing.

Now she was lying in a hospital bed, trying to breath with a collapsed lung.

Roy could feel the stirring of rage in his mind. He pushed it down. He focused on her words.

"Breathe in Roy. Just keep breathing. In and out."

Grodd was standing completely still. There were no movements. No attempts to escape. Roy kept his eyes locked on Grodd's, kept himself focused on staying calm, on keeping his powers working.

Cold put a hand on Roy's shoulder and started guiding him out of the room. Roy walked backwards slowly, his eyes never leaving Grodd's. Once they were safe enough distance away, Cold pulled out the canister and threw it back into the room. The gas filled the air. Cold pulled Roy's arm. Roy followed without hesitation.

When they rounded the next corner, Lisa was there leaning against the wall. She had one hand on her side, the other putting her gold gun back in its holster.

"Sis?"

"Couple of broken ribs. I'll be fine. Already popped a few pain pills."

Cold didn't look happy about that. He looked like he wanted to tell her to stay there. To wait for them to finish the mission without her.

But Lisa was glaring at her brother.

Daring him to say something so stupid.

Finally the mental conversation between the two siblings ended with Cold handing Lisa her rocket launcher. She raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's safe to say they know we are here. At this point, he need to make ourselves a little more…unpredictable."

Lisa smiled.

"Oh I was hoping you would say that big brother."

They headed out of the sewer earlier than originally planned. Once they were on the surface, Roy could see the building supposedly containing Mick and Mardon. It was only a few hundred feet away.

They ducked behind the building. Then Lisa lifted her rocket launcher and aimed it at a few abandoned trucks nearby. The explosion from the cars was huge. Roy didn't see any sign of anyone, but hopefully they would at least send someone to check it out.

The warehouse they entered was full of long rows of metal shelves. Most of them full of odd things like old stuff animals and cans of silly string. Some had large pieces of metal and machines with wires poking out. Roy made damn sure not to touch anything that looked like a toy.

Cold lead them to a side door, from Cisco's intel they knew the warehouse had a basement and a subbasement underneath. Apparently this place had once been used for illegal smuggling activities before the cops shut it down. They moved slowly. Looking for anything that could be a trap or explosive.

Cold lead them to the general area that Cisco had detected the irregular weather patterns.

They entered a room that had a very large cage in the middle of it. It looked like a cage they kept lions in in the early days of traveling circuses. The entire room was decorated to look like a sideshow.

And there in the middle of the cage, was Mick. He was sitting on a crate, staring at his leg.

The pyromaniac looked up when the three of them moved closer.

"What took you so long?"

Mick looked relatively unscathed. A few cuts and bruises but nothing the man hadn't had before.

"Ran into a little trouble with Grodd."

Cold opened the cell door. Mick didn't move for the exit, and then Roy saw why. His hands and one of his legs was shackled. Lisa saw it too and automatically climbed into the cage with Mick. She bent down beside him and started picking the locks. Mick looked at her for a moment, then turned his attention to Cold.

"They got one of those artifact things. Saw them put some kind of weird necklace on Mardon. His powers just started going haywire. Almost killed us both with a lightening bolt before he got it under control."

"Anything else we need to know?"

"Nimbus ain't happy with the power structure. Not enough people for him to kill. He'll bail at the first sign of trouble. The punk kid was the one that brought me my meals. Managed to plant some seeds in his head like we talked about, you'll be able to bring 'em out if you get the chance. Seems like he was already questioning some stuff. Jesse ain't going down unless it's in a body bag."

"Harkness."

"Didn't see him. Not like him to not want to gloat. But Jesse made sure me and Mark knew it was Harkness that put us here….said Harkness killed Hartley. Stabbed him through the heart." Mick's voice had almost gone soft at that last part.

"Hartley's alive."

Mick snorted.

"Course he is. Kid's tough as they come."

Roy gave an involuntary smile.

Lisa finished removing Mick's restraints. Roy could now see how bloody Mick's wrists were. Cuts that ran deep. The man must have been pulling with everything he had to get that damaged.

"Most of the traps are on the lower levels. Saw them going down there a bunch. Guess they figured you guys would come up from the sewers."

"Which we did originally. Had to make a few changes to the plan."

"Only saw the Reverse Flash once, he just came and took Mardon outside not too long ago. Couldn't do much to stop them. I think the show's about to start." Mick's bloody wrists were a testament to how much he had tried to stop them.

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting shall we?"

Snart handed Mick several weapons, including his heat gun.

A loud alarm started blaring. James Jesse's voice filled the air.

"Intruders! Intruders! Halt! You are breaking the law! Just so you know we have a very strict policy against intruders here at Trickster Incorporated. All trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again. And their bodies will be hung up on the roof like scarecrows! Which will really help with the crow problem we have been having lately. You wouldn't believe the mess. Yeesh."

"I'm guessing they know you're here now."

Cold was smirking.

"What can I say, subtlety was never really my thing."

Lisa moved suddenly, pulling something from her bag of weapons.

There was a green gas filling the hallway behind them.

"You boys go get Mardon, I'll take care of Nimbus."

Cold hesitated for a moment, but then gave his sister a nod.

"Be careful sis."

"Please. I'm more than capable of handling a loser like this."

"I know."

There was sincerity in Snart's voice. Lisa's mask dropped for a moment as well. Her small smile was genuine.

Mick interrupted the moment.

"Real touching. Can we go now? I haven't gotten the chance to burn anything in days."

Lisa smirked at Mick.

"You heard him Lenny, get out of here. You know how antsy Mick gets without his fire."

They headed out of the makeshift prison and headed back up towards the ground floor of the building.

All the while Jesse's voice boomed over the loud speakers.

"Intruders! Intruders! Just so you know, I am going to make a fun little game out of this. I hope you don't mind if I talk during the movie. Yes, I am one of those people. But I've never had any complaints. Well, maybe one or two but those people aren't alive any more so they don't' really count, do they? Ohh look out Lisa! Nimbus is choking off your air supply. Oh dear Leonard. Your poor baby sister. She is really struggling. To think you left her down there all alone. All alone with that bad man. Letting that man hurt her like that…"

"I'm going to melt that guys face off."

"He's trying to distract us, put us off our game. Trying to get us to make a mistake. Doesn't want us focusing on…"

Cold bent down suddenly, he shot his cold gun into the air directly above and in front of him.

There were dozen of cans lining the shelves around them. They looked like the fake cans of nuts that had spring loaded snakes in them. Roy wouldn't put it past the old man to find a way to put real poisonous snakes in those things.

"Keep your eyes open we…"

Mick grabbed Roy by the collar and pulled him down quickly. What looked like a…yep that was a cream pie, hit the wall behind him.

And immediately started to eat through the concrete.

Not real cream then.

"Come out, Come out, wherever you are…."

It was clear that Axel Walker had been taking lessons from his father. Trying to mimic the older man's menace and instability. At this particular moment, it was quite effective.

There was a drone flying near them, it had the words Ha Ha painted on the side. And it had been retrofitted to throw concrete melting cream pies. There were three more pies waiting to be thrown at them.

Cold nodded to Mick. Mick grabbed Roy's collar and shoved him one way, while Cold went the other.

The drone followed after Cold. The Roy and Mick ducked behind a nearby crate, the rows of shelves lining the warehouse made it difficult to see where Cold had gone.

"Up there."

Roy followed Mick's gaze. He could see Axel Walker with a remote in his hands standing on a metal scaffolding above the warehouse floor.

"I don't know if I can get him from here."

"You get outside. I'll melt that scaffold and take care of Walker. Find Mardon and calm him down before everything goes to shit."

Roy nodded.

Mick broke away, his heat gun already melting everything around them. They would be lucky if the entire building didn't go up in flames before this was over.

The sound of Jesses's incessant talking had stopped. Meaning the older man must have left his spot in the control room and was fixing to join the fight. Tired of just watching the action on the monitors.

There was another alarm blaring now, probably the old fire alarm. Not to mention the sound of metal crashing down around them.

The noise outside of the building however, was worse.

There was nothing but the sound of wind. It covered every other noise as soon as Roy stepped outside. A roaring, rushing sound. The sound of power coming towards you, of nature pushing back against humanity.

Roy could see multiple tornados. Each moving slowly towards the city. There were dozens of them, moving with an unnatural uniformity. Roy assumed that there were more he couldn't see on the other side of Central City. Creating a circle around it. Slowly moving in an effort to give people time to truly build up their fear. To know that there was nothing they could do. Nowhere they could go.

Trapped in their homes, waiting to watch their families die.

The largest tornado was on the other side of the complex. Although there didn't appear to be any wind with this one. It wasn't moving, it…didn't seem to be like the others. It almost didn't even seem to be a tornado at all. But that was what it had to be. Roy could see movement, swirling energy going up into the sky.

Just above the tornado, just out of sight in the darkened clouds above, there was…something.

Roy could barely understand what he was looking at.

Roy hesitated to even consider what it was his mind thought his eyes were seeing. He could make out movement, but not…not the movement of the clouds and wind. Purposeful, deliberate movement. As though long tentacles of light were worming their way through the clouds. Reaching down out of some other place, some other world.

HP Lovecraft would have a field day with this.

If he lived through this, Roy was going to have to try and find a way to accurately paint the image above him. He doubted he would ever be able to.

Roy had to get to Mardon. Had to calm the man down, get him to stop using his powers.

Roy saw Mardon standing in a large open employee parking lot. He was just standing, his arms raised above his head. Guiding the tornados towards the city.

Grodd was unconscious, but Mardon was somehow still following the orders of the Reverse Flash. Roy remembered when he had held the artifact, when it had activated his powers. Roy had felt his paranoia, his fear rise until he thought about running, until he thought about killing the Rogues before they could kill him.

Mardon always responded to fear with anger. His paranoia would cause him to try and….kill anyone to get his revenge. The man who killed his brother lived in Central City, so he should kill everyone there just to get to the detective responsible. The Reverse Flash could be running around Mardon, whispering in the man's ear. Putting the thoughts in his head without Mardon even knowing. Using Mardon's paranoia to channel his powers just the way the Reverse Flash wanted.

Roy looked behind him. He couldn't see any sign of the Reverse Flash, couldn't see that tell tale streak of lightening. He thought he saw something near the largest tornado, standing far too close. The time traveler was most likely over there. Waiting for Parallax to give him his reward.

Roy kept moving towards Mardon. Though the wind made his progress slow. He struggled with every step. It felt like he had run a marathon, though he had barely made it several yards. Roy saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards it.

Cold was trying to take out both of the Tricksters. The wind was blowing debris around, the noise making communication impossible even with their headsets. Cold was holding his own against them, and Roy was too far away to be able to interfere. Cold should…

A door to an adjacent building opened.

Digger stepped outside.

Digger saw the fight as well. He pulled back his arm, aiming a boomerang at Cold's back. Even with the wind, Roy was certain the man wouldn't miss. There wasn't anyway for Roy to warn Cold. Lisa was still inside, trying to capture Nimbus.

Mick was…

Oh thank god.

Mick came up behind Digger and snapped the mercenary's arm in half. Roy couldn't hear the sound of Digger's arm breaking, but he could see the way it moved. The way it turned so unnaturally so quickly. Mick shot a stream of fire at Digger but he ducked and rolled out of the way, switching to his other arm to defend himself.

They didn't have much time, Roy returned to his trek towards Mardon. He only made it a dozen or so feet.

And then Roy heard it. A sound almost completely masked by the wind and the fighting. Masked until it was almost on top of him.

Sirens.

Roy turned quickly to see several cop cars screeching to a halt. The RTF rushed out of their vehicles. They must have realized the Rogues were missing and come early. Or they had seen the tornados and decided to say screw their plan and just rush in.

They were decked out in all their gear. But it wasn't the weather grounding device they held. Or any type of anti-meta weaponry.

They drew their guns. And they aimed them.

But not at the Tricksters, or Digger, or the Reverse Flash.

No. They pointed their guns solely at Mardon.

Roy wouldn't be quick enough. He was still too far away from Mardon. Even if he could make it to him in time, Roy would just be gunned down as well.

Several members of the RTF were wearing reflective shades. He couldn't use his powers to stop them.

Cold had been right.

The RTF wanted to take out Mardon. They finally had an excuse to kill him. And they were going to take it.

Roy tried to yell at Mardon, try to warn his friend of the hail of bullets. Tried to tell him to push them away, to use his powers to save himself.

But Roy's voice was lost in the wind. It never even reached Roy's ears, though he could feel himself screaming.

He heard the shots though. Those were clearer than any other sound. Those somehow penetrated the deafening wind. Whether or not the sound was real, or just provided by his own mind, Roy would never truly know.

No doubt the sound would replay over and over for the rest of his life. Lingering in his mind.

He saw the flashes of the barrels. He couldn't see the bullets, but he knew they were there. Racing towards Mardon, hurried on their path to end his life. Roy couldn't look towards his friend. He kept his eyes focused on the RTF.

Over and over the cops fired. More bullets than were necessary to kill a dozen men. They wanted to be sure. They wanted it to be permanent.

What had happened to the tranquilizer guns they were supposed to carry? To the anti-meta human devices? Cisco's weather grounding device would have stopped Mardon's powers instantly. There was no reason to kill him.

Roy felt himself sneering.

Cops.

The Rogues had saved their lives. Stopped the Trickster from killing them and the RTF repay them by killing Mardon the first chance they got.

Roy had long since learned to control his powers, to not let his emotions, no matter how strong, activate them. But he could feel the rage building up inside of him. He could feel his powers activating against his will. He couldn't control it, his eyes burned red.

He knew it had nothing to do with being so close to the artifact.

He was going to make those cops rip each other to shreds. He was going to make them eat each other's hearts and…

The wind stopped suddenly.

For a moment, it was as if all of the sound in the world had been stripped away. Silence weighed heavily around them.

"That wasn't the plan Lieutenant!"

Roy turned away from the line of cops, their guns now aimed ineffectually at the ground.

The Flash was standing in front of them. The weather grounding device in one hand…and dozens of bullets falling out of the other.

Mardon stood behind him.

Unharmed.

Roy moved quickly, he pushed down his rage trying to focus on calming himself down. He tried breathing slowly. Kept his glasses in place until he was in front of Mark.

In and out. Just breathe in and out.

Mardon couldn't use his powers, but he was still being affected by the artifact. Roy wasn't sure exactly what adding his own influence would do to Mardon's mind, but they really didn't have a choice in the matter.

Roy quickly used his powers on Mark, the other thief's eyes flashed a light blue. Roy saw the necklace, felt his powers flare at being so close to it. He tried to ignore it. He would have to get one of the others to remove it. Roy couldn't risk touching it. Couldn't risk losing control again.

"Mark…can you hear me?"

Mardon's eyes didn't focus on Roy. The man seemed completely unaware of what was happening around him. On how close he came to being shot.

The Flash took a step towards the cops.

"The Rogues are our allies. Captain Singh…"

"Is a fool! They're criminals. They can't be trusted. We are protecting the city by eliminating…"

"Now, now gentlemen, let's not fight! Can't we all just get along?"

James Jesse was standing on top of the RTF Swat truck. Roy had no idea how the older man had managed to get up there without anyone noticing.

Roy quickly searched for Cold, the man was back towards the warehouse entrance. Axel Walker was holding what looked like a rubber chicken towards Snart. Roy could see Cold's mouth moving, the man was trying to talk to the younger Trickster. Why the hell wasn't Cold just shooting the kid?

Mick had an arm around Lisa, she had gained a leg wound at some point in her fight with Nimbus and was limping slightly. They came up behind Roy and Mardon. The Flash stood in front of them.

"Why are you doing this Jesse? Don't you see what the Reverse Flash is doing? He is using you, if his plan succeeds you will die. All of us will die! How is destroying Central City a good trick?"

"My dear boy! It would be the greatest trick of all! A master must be willing to bleed or even die for his craft! Oh think of it, people would never forget it! Oh but you are all so boring. You'll never understand the pure joy of the perfect trick. But soon you will. Now then! Time for the Main Event!"

"How the hell is that squid in the sky not the main event?"

Roy had to agree with Mick, what the hell else could these people possibly throw at them?

A strange distorted voice filled the air.

"Hello Flash."

Oh. Right.

The Reverse Flash.

Roy had forgotten about that asshole for a second.

The Flash took a step forward.

"You won't win. You know you won't."

"Oh I know. I know that things have changed. That I am just a remnant. A leftover from another time, a ghost here to plague you. But if I am to be destined to be nothing more than your enemy, than an obstacle for you to overcome every so often. I fully intend to take advantage of that. I know I don't win. But then, I also know I don't die here and now. You have given me a great power. I am no longer bound by the constraints of time itself. And while that is incredibly freeing, it has also left me with few options. Parallax's power would allow me to change everything, to regain control of my life. My destiny. Once I have it, I will be able to move through the time stream and go wherever I feel like it. My own time. Your past. Nothing will stop me."

Lisa made a small noise, almost like a laugh. Everyone turned and looked at her.

"Does the whole villain monologue thing sound that bad when we do it? Because that was tragic. I didn't hear a single pun. Seriously Flash, can you just take care of this already, I want to go home and wash my hair. I think I can still smell Nimbus in it."

The Flash smirked. The Reverse Flash started to vibrate again.

Having spent so much time around Mardon, Roy had become familiar with the feeling of lightening. The crackle in the air, the shiver in your spine. To know something so fast, so powerful, so unpredictable lingered so close.

When the two Flashes started to run, it was that same feeling. Except it wasn't like lightening in the clouds above, where you could convince yourself it was too far away. Delude yourself into thinking you were safe. This was everywhere at once. It moved and jumped and hit all around them.

Roy grabbed Mardon and pulled him away from the fighting. Lisa and Mick trailed not far behind. Roy turned his head to see Jesse laughing, a cloud of smoke surrounding the RTF. Lisa had taken care of Nimbus. Jesse must have done something to them. Some kind of poison gas by the way the officers were clutching at their throats.

Good.

Let them choke and die.

The four Rogues ducked behind an old rusted delivery truck. Mick reached over and ripped the necklace off of Mardon's neck. The pyro turned his gun on the artifact and melted it on the concrete in front of them. Lisa covered the melted pieces in gold.

"Just to be sure."

Roy hesitantly released Mardon from his power.

"Mark?"

Mark took a moment, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. Finally he raised his eyes from the ground.

"I really, really want to kill that asshole."

They all smirked.

"Here's hoping we get the chance."

Cold suddenly appeared from the other side of the truck. Lisa turned to her brother.

"How's it going out there?"

"Flash wasn't as healed as he said he was. Kid's starting to slow down. Looks like Cisco and Caitlin managed to save the RTF…"

"Pity."

"…although they aren't going to be much use for awhile. Walker's not going to be a problem. Best to leave him out of it. That just leaves Jesse and the Reverse Flash."

"And the squid."

They all looked up. The tornados were gone, but the dark clouds remained. Parallax was still there as well, still slithering just beyond their sight. Enough people in the city must have been scared of the tornados, and with that thing up there, Roy didn't see how they were going to calm people down anytime soon.

"Right. That one might be…"

An explosion rocked a nearby building. Jesse's laughter could be heard above the roar.

Cold turn his gaze to Mardon.

"Your powers?"

"I don't think I could create a light breeze right now."

Cold pulled several guns out of his parka. He also handed him the special earplugs.

"Doing this old school then. Take out Jesse. Quickly. We don't know if Grodd is still trapped in the sewers. Roy I want you to hold back here with Mick."

"What?"

"The Reverse Flash wants you. If he grabs you and gets away he can just summon Parallax again whenever he feels like it. Lisa, get to Cisco and Caitlin, see if they have any ideas on how to get rid of Parallax."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to slow things down a bit."

Roy wanted to bristle at being benched so late in the game, but didn't have the energy. The adrenaline was still running through his veins, but he could feel blood running down his leg. He had definitely reopened his wound at some point. As the others disappeared on their missions, Mick grabbed Roy's arm tightly.

If Roy got taken, Mick was going along for the ride.

Roy heard gunshots and was able to see Mardon tackle Jesse to the ground. Lisa was further away, speaking to Cisco about something. The kid had some kind of metal football looking thing in his hands.

The Flash was suddenly thrown into a wall, the whole building shaking with the impact. Cold was in front of the kid almost immediately. His gun up and raised in the general direction the Reverse Flash would attack from. He moved the gun slowly side to side.

Cold turned his head slightly to the Flash.

"Kid?"

"He's…"

Roy could see the flicker of lightening in the distance. Heading straight for Cold and the Flash. Cold kept his gun aimed at the light. Roy saw Cold pull the trigger repeatedly.

Nothing happened.

No stream of light. No whirring sound of energy.

Nothing.

The Reverse Flash stopped abruptly in front of the pair, only a few feet between them.

The Flash struggled to stand up. Trying to stop the Reverse Flash from killing Snart to get to him.

"Cold get the hell out of here before…"

"Relax kid. He's not going anywhere."

Roy could see it now. The light layer of what looked like frost on the Reverse Flash. The Flash looked stunned.

"How?"

"Made a few adjustments to the gun. Decided it would be a good idea to be able to spread a less localized stream of super cooled air over a wider area. Creates a…"

"Field of absolute zero, so no molecules can move within in. You created a net for…"

"Speedsters yes. Let's pretend I modified the gun recently, specifically to trap him, so that no one's feelings get hurt."

The Flash tried to move, but wasn't able to stand. Cold was staring at the Reverse Flash.

Mick and Roy left the relative safety of the truck and moved towards Cold. Roy could feel the chill in the air, could see his breath in front of him. Roy and the rest of the Rogues had all learned exactly how wide this field of absolute zero was. Learned how to avoid getting too close. It was one thing to see it practiced at the safe house, it was another to see someone trapped inside of it.

"I don't know how long this will last. So…"

Cold changed a few dials on the gun, then pointed it back at the Reverse Flash. His intentions were clear.

"Wait! You can't kill him."

Cold sighed dramatically.

"Don't make me freeze your mouth shut kid. You made your obligatory attempt to stop me, your conscience is clear."

"No. I mean you literally cannot kill him. He's…it's complicated but he's from the future and killing him now mean he can't come back to the past ever again."

Mick snorted.

"Sounds like an obvious reason to kill him."

Flash glared at them. Roy thought Mick had made an excellent point.

"It would be…the past to us as well. He…he sets a lot of things in motion. You kill him, the particle accelerator never explodes. The metahumans never exist. The Rogues never exist. I know you hate him, and want to protect your crew. But if you kill him, then you will lose them in a different way."

Roy thought back to the sewer, of the Reverse Flash telling him that he was never a part of the Rogues. That Roy had died in prison, long before they ever formed. The Rogues would exist eventually, just…not like they were now. They would be different. With different members, and…Roy would be dead.

Roy wondered what would have happened to the other Rogues if the particle accelerator never exploded. Clyde would still be alive. Him and Mark would still be robbing banks, or be back in prison. But they would still be together. Mark would still have his baby brother.

Shawna would still be waiting on her boyfriend to get out of prison. Probably pulling a few small time heists on the side. Never anything violent, never anything that would get her more than a petty theft charge. Never pulling a job that would get her locked up in a tiny box for months on end.

Hartley…Hartley would still have a respectable job. Making a new name for himself. One that had nothing to do with his parents. Kid would probably own half the city by now.

The Snart siblings' lives probably wouldn't have changed much. Still pulling jobs together, though not as frequently as they did now. Mick…god knows where Mick would be. Only reason he came back to Central was because of the heat gun Snart had offered him. He'd still be off on his own, with no one to pull him away from the flames.

Half of the Rogues would have been better off if the particle accelerator had never exploded. The other half…

Roy kept his mouth shut as Cold considered the Flash's words. No doubt the man was also running through the odds. Weighing the pros and cons.

Roy didn't mention his own potential fate.

Whatever Cold decided was best for the Rogues. That was what mattered in the end. What they all signed up for. The Rogues were a family. And that meant putting away your personal desires for the good of the crew.

Cold lowered his weapon slightly.

"We can't just let him go Scarlet."

"We have to. We have to take him back to STAR Labs and send him back to his own time."

"So he can just come back and try to kill us all again?"

"I know, believe me, I know. I…hate him more than you can understand but it's the only way. We have looked at every option. And…this is the only way to keep things the way they should be."

Roy had been focused on the decision in front of him. So he wasn't exactly sure when Lisa, Mardon, Cisco, and Caitlin had joined the conversation. But they were all there. Staring at the frozen statue of the Reverse Flash.

"What about…" Lisa pointed to the sky. Cisco lifted up the metal egg in his hands.

"Oh that, psh. We totally got that handled. I mean an ancient fear god against modern day technology? Please. We had a little help from an…expert on interdimensional travel. It won't take too long to send Cthulhu back to where he belongs. It would go a little quicker if we could get the people of Central to stop being afraid." Cisco turned and looked at Roy. "Do your powers work over tv signals? Cause if we could calm people down for a hot minute that could help a lot. Although you would have to have your powers like maxed out to the extreme to be able to reach that many people and affect them all enough. They don't even really have to be calm, just any emotion that isn't fear. What's the strongest one you can access?"

Roy glanced over to the RTF, stirring slightly on the ground. The sound of bullets ringing out over the wind played in his mind. Roy's powers began to activate behind his shades.

"Rage."

Cisco actually took a step back.

Lisa put a hand on Roy's shoulder. Roy took a breath. His eyes stopped burning.

"Oooo…kay. We will just…not do that, then. I mean, stopping Parallax hardly seems worth it if half the city is ripping each other's faces off. So…"

There was an awkward pause. Even the Flash was looking at Roy strangely. Roy took another calming breath. He watched as several more police cars and ambulances started pulling into the complex.

Back up had finally arrived. Detective West and Captain Singh stepped out of one of the newly arrived cars. Roy idly wondered if they had known what the RTF was going to do. Had they ordered the RTF to kill the Rogues?

Mardon took a step forward and spoke directly to Cold.

"Jesse got away. His damn suit ripped off. So did Walker and Digger. The three of them were heading towards a big truck in the back. Grodd too. Looked like he was still groggy though."

"Yea, how the hell did the three of you take out Grodd?" Cisco was looking at Cold.

"Trade secret kid. You ever decide you want to switch side and join us, I'll let you know."

The young engineer rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. The RTF truck is fitted with anti-meta devices. Once Thawne's in the back, his powers won't work and we can keep him sedated until we get back to Star Labs. If we can…"

Lisa interrupted the man's babbling.

"That sounds suspiciously like hero work Cisco."

The Flash rolled his eyes, while Caitlin helped the Flash to his feet.

"We are going to activate a device that should close the portal that Parallax is coming through. Cisco…"

"Got it." The young man ran back towards the STAR Labs van. Cold raised an eyebrow at the Flash.

"You all seem rather nonchalant about the fear god trying to claw it's way down and kill all of us."

"If the Reverse Flash's plan had worked, Parallax would already be through and the city, and all of us, would be dead. He must not have had enough fear from the people of Central. Parallax is trapped halfway between our world and…wherever the hell he is from. We were able to find a way to close the portal using…"

Cold waved his hand.

"I don't need all the details kid."

The Flash nodded.

"The RTF should be waking up soon. Once they are mobile we can go after the Jesse and the others. Stop them from getting away. They won't be able to get very far."

"Sounds like you should be the one to run that idea by them Scarlet. I'm only going to be able to stop myself from killing people who tried to murder my team so many times tonight."

The Flash didn't seem phased by Cold's words. No doubt the hero was acutely aware of how much the Rogues were holding up their end of the bargain, while the cops hadn't held up theirs. The STAR Labs team hobbled away, leaving the Rogues alone. Mick pointed at the still frozen Reverse Flash.

"We really not killing this guy?"

"Not yet. One day we will. Besides, I want them to think we are cooperating. You said you saw Digger leaving with Walker?"

Mark smirked.

"I might have lied about that a little."

"Good, seeing as the last time I saw him, his legs were frozen to the ground. I assumed he couldn't go anywhere. Mardon and Lisa go get aid from the ambulance…"

Mark took a step forward.

"I want to be there…"

"It will be suspicious if we all disappear at once. Roy, Digger's inside the building on your right, two doors down on the left. Go make sure he doesn't go anywhere. I'll go convince the Flash that we are going to look for clues as to where Jesse and his team have fled to. The rest of us will filter in after a few minutes and then we will finish this."

They split up quietly. Mick following after Cold, and Lisa heading towards the ambulance with Mark. Roy wanted to head for one of the ambulances himself. His adrenaline was finally starting to taper off, and his leg wasn't going to support him for much longer. But he followed Cold's orders and headed back inside.

His steps were slow, measured, as he entered the building. It wasn't hesitation. It was just exhaustion. That was all it was.

Soon this would all be over. Soon he would be able to head back to the safe house and sleep for a week.

There was just one last thing left to do.


	8. Chapter 8

Digger's arm was hanging at such an odd angle. Roy wanted to say something about it, comment on its jarring direction.

But he didn't. He just stared at Digger. Watching the mercenary for any sign that he might struggle. That he might try to escape.

The man was sitting on the ground, his legs frozen in front of him. He hadn't said anything when Roy first entered. Just given him this…look.

Like he knew exactly what was coming.

And he wasn't particularly upset about it.

More…resigned. Like this was how he always knew it would end for him. Roy supposed someone in Digger's line of work always knew their life would end badly.

Bloody.

Roy didn't really know what he expected Harkness to do. The man wasn't really the begging type. He'd probably just say a dumbass pun before Cold killed him. Laugh it off, like dying was just another joke to him.

Digger shifted slightly. As though he was trying to find a more comfortable position, he propped himself up onto his one still functioning forearm.

As though that were a more appropriate position to die in.

Eventually the man gave up and sort of just laid back down. He was simply lying there, just staring at the ceiling. The silence was thick. Roy didn't think he had anything to say to the mercenary. No final lingering questions. No anger or disappointment to hurl at the man. Maybe it was all the fighting and the wounds and the painkillers, but Roy just felt…tired.

He found he couldn't bring himself to even care why the man had betrayed them.

He just wanted this over with.

When Digger finally spoke, his voice was oddly calm.

"I suppose that's why they like the nicknames isn't it?"

Roy supposed he should tell Digger to shut up. That Roy didn't give a damn what the man was thinking in his final moments. That Digger didn't deserve any sort of catharsis or confession. But he didn't. He just let the man keep talking.

Maybe Mardon was right. Maybe Roy was too sentimental.

"Captain Boomerang, Rainbow Raider, Heat Wave…those are just characters ain't they? Criminals with silly names. That's all we are to them. I'm just my weapons, you're just your powers. We aren't supposed to be anything other than criminals…bad guys. The heroes go home and celebrate cause they made the world a better place. Simple as that. If they used our real names, if they had to acknowledge that maybe we weren't just these ridiculous caricatures, they'd have to see us as people. And they'd have to see that maybe, we have lives of our own. Ones that don't revolve around them or the game we play. We have motivations other than just stealing or killing because that's just what bad guys do."

"Digger…"

"It ain't that simple is it? Far as we're concerned, we're not the bad guys. We're just people who've made choices. Choices that lead us to where we are now. And we are dealing with it the best way we know how. Maybe it's a shitty way, but it's all we've got. It's the only road we got available to us now. I'm not stupid Roy. I know that the minute Cold gets back here, he's going to kill me. And I'm sure there are a thousand things I deserve to die for, but…"

"You betrayed us…"

"Suppose I did. Yea. But…I didn't have a choice. You wouldn't understand. None of you could…"

Roy looked at Digger, trying to figure out the man's game. Digger had to know there was nothing he could say. Nothing that would stop Cold from killing him. They knew he hadn't been under Grodd's influence. There was no scenario that Roy could see that would stop what was going to happen.

The man was a mercenary. A killer. A liar. He had stabbed Roy, tried to kill Hartley, and had been instrumental in getting Mardon and Mick kidnapped. Digger had signed his death warrant the moment he agreed to help the Reverse Flash.

The Rogues were a family, and you don't betray your family.

"Why should I believe you?"

"I'd gather that you don't, and nothing I say is going to change that, but…I need you to listen to me. Alright? Just do me this one favor. For old time's sake. After Cold kills me…I need you to search the sub-basement. I know you're supposed to stay up here, supposed to go after Jesse right quick. But…there's…there's this… boy. He's being held down there. He's going to be scared. He isn't going to know why he's been brought here, and…and he won't understand if you could explain it to him. His name's Owen and…"

The door behind Roy opened. Cold, Lisa, and Mick entered. Lisa was leaning slightly on Mick. The wound at her leg was no longer bleeding but it had to be paining her. Cold took a few steps toward Digger. He didn't say anything, just raised his weapon and aimed it directly at Digger's head.

A memory tugged at Roy's mind. A fleeting moment, one that had seemed so inconsequential at the time. Digger beaten half to death, laying across Roy's legs as they both almost froze to death in that damned sewer.

A pained whisper, barely audible over the sound of dripping water.

_Owen._

Without even thinking, Roy stepped forward and put himself between Cold and Digger.

"Wait."

Cold looked annoyed. He didn't move his gun, just kept it pointed at where Digger's head would be behind Roy. Roy didn't think Cold would shoot him, but he could just have Mick physically move Roy.

"Now is not the time for sentimentality Roy."

"Cold..."

Mick moved forward.

"Out of the way Roy. This needs done."

Lisa was glaring at Digger. All three of them were really. They blamed Digger for most of what had happened. For all the pain and doubts. Cold was mad at himself, pissed that he had allowed a traitor into his family. That he had trusted someone who tried to kill them. He was in no mood for forgiveness.

Digger could very well be lying, there probably wasn't anyone being held in the lower levels. Harkness was stalling. Waiting for the Flash to show up and keep the rest of the Rogues from killing him. This was all a game, a way to save his sorry ass. The mercenary wasn't even defending his actions. Wasn't trying to tell them about his supposed kid.

Except…there was this nagging thought in Roy's mind. More than just what he thought he had heard in the sewer.

Digger was a trained killer. One of ARGUS' best agents until he turned on them. And yet he somehow managed to miss Hartley's heart by inches, even when he was at close range. He had walked slowly when he went to kill Roy, like he was stalling for time. He could have incapacitated Roy in seconds, thrown a boomerang from the stage and been done with it. He had tried to give the others time to interfere.

It wasn't much. Probably why Digger wasn't saying anything. It was barely evidence to prove that he didn't want to kill them. Let alone exonerate him for betraying them.

Cold might not care. He might think that there is nothing that could justify attempting to kill another Rogue. Roy could try to defend Digger's actions, and Cold might just shoot Digger anyway.

Roy sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"They kidnapped his son."

Cold looked surprised, but quickly covered it with anger.

"What?"

Cold's voice was hard. Unrelenting.

Roy continued on, thankful that Cold hadn't simply reacted by murdering them both.

"His son, Owen. The Reverse Flash kidnapped him and is holding him in the lower levels."

Mick snorted.

"Bullshit."

"Mick."

"No. This is bullshit. The asshole is lying to cover his ass."

A distinct possibility. It did sound like something Digger would do.

Cold used the side of his gun to push Roy out of the way. He bent down so that he was looking Digger in the eyes. Cold pushed the hood of his parka back and removed his shades.

"You have a son?"

Digger hesitated a moment.

"He's six."

"And you've never mentioned this…"

"Because no one was supposed to know about him. Not the cops, not ARGUS, nobody. Even managed to keep him hidden from Waller. He lives with a couple in New York. Doesn't even have the same last name as me. His adopted parents don't know anything about me, or what I do. I made damn sure no one knew about them or him. I killed everyone who knew he was mine. I…I haven't seen the boy since he was born. He was supposed to be safe. I don't know how this asshole found him…"

Cold remained crouched in front of Digger for a few moments before abruptly standing up. His eyes were still focused on Digger. Trying to read the mercenary. Trying to see if this was all some sort of elaborate hoax. Cold would be able to see the lie. He would know whether Digger was full of shit or not.

"The Reverse Flash is a time traveler. Probably has a list of all our descendants. Or Grodd read your mind when you were in the sewer. Either way…."

Cold's gun hovered at Digger's chest. Roy could feel the temperature in the room start to drop.

Cold lowered the gun slowly, then holstered it.

"Mick. Free him."

"Still say this is bullshit."

"If it is then you can burn him alive."

Mick melted the ice at Digger's feet. Digger looked up at all of them. It was clear he was still waiting for them to kill him.

"Wasn't expecting this to be honest."

"If you are lying to us about this…"

"I'm not. I couldn't say anything or that damn gorilla would have killed the boy. After what he did to those people at the apartment, I couldn't take any chances."  
"All right." Cold offered a hand to Digger. The mercenary took it hesitantly. Cold pulled him to his feet and steadied him when he almost fell over. Digger looked questioningly at Cold.

"Half expected you to stab me when you pulled me up."

"If…Owen exists, then he's family. And the Rogues protect their family. But let me be clear Digger…" Roy could see Cold's grip on Digger increase, painfully so. "If this is a lie, if you are playing us…I will keep you alive for as long as possible. I will make sure that none of your senses are dulled by the cold, you will feel every single thing. Every burn, every cut, every bruise. You won't die until I am satisfied you have suffered enough to make up for what you did to Hartley."

Cold abruptly left go of Digger's arm and the mercenary stumbled backwards. Cold just raised an eyebrow.

"You said he was in the sub-basement?"

Digger took a moment to look at Cold, then the others. It was clear that Digger was still waiting for Mick or Lisa to kill him. To wait until he thought he was safe, then stab him in the back.

"I think that's where he's at. Tried to find him but the damn gorilla was always around. Couldn't even think about looking for him…"

"Lisa, you and Digger head for the exit."

"Lenny…"

"You're both injured. Your gun is out of commission, and he isn't going to be much good with his arm broken. Find out if Flash is back on his feet. Let him know there is the possibility of there being a child in the building. Be easier to search with him helping out. Make sure the cops understand that Digger is a Rogue. But he never leaves your sight, and if he tries anything, kill him."

Lisa was still eyeing Digger with distrust, but she nodded to her brother and put an arm around Digger's waist.

Roy got the distinct feeling she was going to have some choice words with Digger on their way to the exit. He might even gain a few more injuries.

"Mick, you and I will head down. Roy, get to the command center, see if you can find the kid on the monitors."

Roy nodded. He watched Lisa and Digger hobble their way towards the exit. They were all supposed to be out of the building. Cisco had come in on the coms and said they needed to get out in case Jesse had left any surprises behind. The Flash was still down, Mardon's powers were barely working. Going after the Tricksters and Grodd would be pointless until they had time to regroup. No sense in rushing out of the building. Might as well just take a quick look to see if Digger was telling the truth.

Roy walked into the security room and started scanning all of the monitors. There were dozens of rooms. And the cameras only covered the hallways leading to most of them. Roy saw Len and Mick on the cameras, making their way slowly down the winding staircase. They had to stop every so often, to step over a trip wire or duck underneath what looked like a harmless circus decoration. But knowing Jesse, probably contained something that would melt their faces off.

Jesse had really put a lot of effort into turning this place into his own personal fun house of murder.

Roy finally saw something.

"Cold, there's a door a few hallways down. Looks like it is wired up. There's…a big smiley face painted on it. And what I think is supposed to be a kangaroo."

Cold and Mick followed Roy's directions until they reached the door.

There were wires going in and out of it. Mick bent down to examine the door.

"Damn, those are Valdic thermal sensors."

Cold raised an eyebrow at Mick's tone.

"They're specifically designed to notice changes in temperature. Used in some high class vaults. In case anyone tries to burn their way through. Triggers an alarm if it gets too hot. Jesse must have rigged it to detect cold temperatures too. We try to freeze the wires or burn through the door, the damn thing will go off. And I'm guessing the freak wired the door to some sort of bomb."

"I would assume that is what that large package wrapped in Christmas wrap is. We need another way in before…"

A loud alarm started blaring.

Roy checked the screens. Neither of the Rogues had even touched the door yet. They couldn't have triggered…

"Cold!" Cisco's voice came in over the coms. "You guys have to get out of there now. Jesse put some bombs throughout his magical murder house that our sensors couldn't detect until he activated them."

"We have to…"

"You don't understand, you all have less than thirty seconds to get out. If you head for the exit near…"

"Mick and I are in the sub-basement. And Roy's in the command center. There isn't enough time for any of us to escape."

Cold's voice was so calm. Roy had always admired that about Cold. How in control of his emotions he always seemed to be.

"What? Why the hell were you all so far in? Ok…Ok, no big deal. I can…"

"Cisco…"

"Just…give me a minute, I can figure out how to…

"Not your fault kid."

Cisco was silent after that. Cold was right. Cisco had done all he could. But there was no way he could delay the detonation of the bombs. Jesse had waited until he was safely away before activating his backup weapon. Had this been the plan all along? Digger tells them some sad story and they blindly head down, making any sort of escape impossible.

In the end, Roy supposed it didn't really matter.

The three of them were going to die down here.

Roy sat down heavily in one of the rolling office chairs.

Well.

He never thought he'd die in an explosion.

Always knew he'd die alone of course, but…Roy pushed a button and switched to the outside monitors.

He could see the others gathered outside. Lisa and Digger were sitting near one of the RTF trucks. Lisa was yelling at several police officers who were holding her back. Keeping her from running into the building. They must be able to hear the alarms out there as well. Digger was looking towards the building, there was…a look on his face that Roy had never seen before.

Mardon was pushing his way out of the back of an ambulance, Caitlin and Cisco were with him. Trying to convince him to sit back down, that he needed to rest.

That there was nothing he could do.

This was going to be hard on them.

Mardon was going to react badly to this. Might just kill everyone around him right then. He had trouble dealing with loss. Not that any of the others were great at dealing with their emotions. He hoped Shawna and Hartley didn't blame themselves, didn't think there was something they could have done if they had only been here. Shawna thinking she could have used her powers to get them out instantly. Hartley thinking he would have been smart enough to figure out Jesse's tricks.

Roy didn't want to think about what Lisa would do if she lost her brother and Mick at the same time.

Would the remaining Rogues stick together? Or would it be too hard? Loss could drive people apart. Too much pain, too much regret, was hard to bear in the presence of others. Especially if they all blamed each other. If only as a way to keep from blaming themselves.

It was…

"Cold, where are you exactly?"

Holy shit.

The Flash appeared suddenly beside the other Rogues on the monitor. The kid had used most of his speed earlier, he couldn't possibly have enough left to run in and grab all three of them. Roy tried to ignore the small bit of hope that flared in his chest.

Especially when a blast of sound and heat knocked him out of the chair. Cold hadn't had a chance to respond. The Flash wouldn't know where they all were. There was no time left.

Roy had a strange flashback to his childhood. Swinging on a swing set. Trying to go as high as he could. Trying to reach the fabled altitude that would allow him to swing over the top bar. The other kids said it could be done. He remembered going so high, getting so close…

And then the chain making that odd sound and him falling so quickly. Landing with a dull thud on the solid ground. Staring up at the sky, trying to remember how to breathe, trying not to cry with so many of his schoolmates around. Wanting so desperately to be able to get back on that swing.

He had broken his wrist. His parents had blamed the school, the school had blamed it on him. On him ignoring the warnings of his teachers. Telling him that he couldn't possibly clear the bar, couldn't swing over the top. That he should slow down.

He wondered what it was in him that had made him ignore them. What had made him get back on that swing two days after his cast was removed to try again. Was it an odd defiance? A strange way of saying to his teachers and his parents, that he may be odd, he may be different, but he could do things they could never imagine possible. If his parents had still been alive, would they have believed the things he could do now? The greatness he had accomplished?

Roy felt himself hit the ground, felt the heat of the flames all around him. It was suffocating. It threatened to overwhelm him. All around him was the sound of crashing, of the building falling down. Tears streamed down his face from the smoke, his breath was coming so rapidly, so full of acid. He was choking.

Then he was moving.

So fast, he could barely understand what was happening.

Had he fallen again? Had the chain snapped one more time? Tossing him to the earth, without a second thought of what he had almost accomplished?

He was on the ground again, only…only it was a different ground.

He was outside.

Roy looked over, Cold and Mick were both beside him. The Flash was bent over breathing heavily, his hands resting on his knees.

The kid had actually done it. He had found them. He had saved…

"What the hell were you guys still doing in there?"

Before they could answer, before they could say anything to try and convince the kid to run back into a burning building, another explosion went off.

The door guarding Owen had been rigged with heat sensors. Once the fire got close enough, it would have reacted. The rigged door must have caused the second explosion. There was no way anyone could still be alive in there.

Roy lifted his head, still choking out the smoke that had filled his lungs. He turned to see Digger sit down heavily. It looked as if his legs had simply stopped working, that they could no longer support the weight he carried. The mercenary was staring blankly at the ground, his broken arm seemingly forgotten. The normally talkative man was completely silent.

Cold stood up and stared at Harkness. Lisa was sitting beside Digger, she tentatively put her arms around his shoulders. Whatever doubt they had about the existence of Owen was gone. There was no way that Digger was faking the devastation on his face.

The agony was etched so clearly. Roy wondered if that look would ever fade.

He doubted it.

Mardon wasn't looking directly at any of them, his fingers kept twitching though, like they ached to be able to do something. Anything. His powers were still too weak, he couldn't create rain or a breeze to put the fire out. There was nothing any of them could have done.

The Flash was looking at them with concern.

"What?"

Cold kept his eyes on Digger. His voice was low, almost soft. Roy could barely hear it over the sound of the building burning behind them.

"There was a kid in the building. Being held on the lower level you found us on. We were trying to get him out when the first explosion went off."

The Flash looked horrified.

"What…no. I can…"

The kid turned like he was going to run back in. Like he could move fast enough to somehow save Owen.

Cold grabbed the Flash's arm.

"It's too late."

The building was collapsing in more and more. Entire walls were falling over.

They all simply stared at the building. Mick was focused on the flames, but Roy liked to believe that he wasn't staring at them with the same reverence he usually did. That even Mick was a little disgusted by how quickly they were consuming everything.

The flames reached higher and higher into the sky. The building would be little more than a memory soon. Roy thought about asking Mick if he thought Jesse had used an accelerant. Had purposefully made the flames move faster, burn hotter. Fire didn't normally feel this…insidious, did it?

The silence was interrupted by Cisco running towards them. He and Caitlin had been talking to Captain Singh, no doubt trying to find where the Tricksters and Grodd had run off to. Half the RTF was still down, still recovering from Jesse's poison. They were still outnumbered, still out powered.

If Cisco noticed the tension he didn't comment on it.

"Guys I retasked a few satellites and got a lock on the Tricksters. Looks like they split up for some reason. James is heading north about 35 miles out, he's got that military truck. Probably has Grodd in it. Axel is about three miles away, heading east."

The Flash was the first to turn away from the flames. The first to remember that there was more to their world then what was being burned away.

"Only a few miles?"

"Yea…looks like he is walking."

Cold dropped his parka, leaving it on the ground where the Flash had whisked them out. Roy had finally managed to get his own breathing under control, his lungs no longer burned from the effort. Mark offered Roy a hand and pulled him to his feet.

The Rogues all looked at each other. A silent communication passed between them. The heat from the fire wasn't the only reason Cold ditched his coat.

This wasn't the time for showmanship or games.

This was a time for revenge.

"I told the kid that James wasn't his father. He must have confronted him about it, or James left him behind because he was slowing them down. Saw the kid get hit by something earlier. Got any speed left Scarlet?"

"Let's finish this."

There was an anger in the Flash's voice that Roy hadn't heard before. The idea that Jesse had killed a child tonight was fueling the hero's emotions. Maybe he would be willing to look the other way, when it came to it.

Cold looked at Lisa, she nodded. Her leg was still injured. She would stay with Digger while the rest of them dealt with the remaining problems. Make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Didn't try to run back into the burning building, or just have one of the cops do the job for him.

"Flash, take whatever cops are left and head up the highway, Mick and I will meet you at the pass near the tunnel. We can trap them there, make it impossible for Grodd to escape. Roy, you and Mardon…get Walker."

Roy nodded. He was sure that Mardon had also picked up on the fact that Cold hadn't told them not to kill the young Trickster.

Captain Cold and the Flash had very different ideas about what it meant to finish a fight.

Caitlin took a step forward. No doubt about to say something about how none of them were in any condition to go after Jesse and his gang. How Mick, Cold, and Roy should be laying in stretchers with oxygen masks over their faces. Dr. Snow was a clever woman. She saw their faces, she saw the pain and anger, she knew better than to try to stop them. She put a hand on Cisco's shoulder.

"We will follow behind in the van, Flash. In case anyone needs medical attention."

The Flash nodded and headed back towards the remaining cops to tell them the plan. Cold gave Roy and Mardon one last nod then followed suit with Mick only a few steps behind.

Cisco showed them the location of Axel on his tablet. The kid was staying on the road, and he was moving very slowly. They would catch up to him in no time.

Roy and Mardon took one of the military jeeps and headed down the road. They drove in silence for several minutes before Mardon spoke.

"Didn't expect Harkness to be the type to have a kid."

"I don't think anyone was supposed to know. He thought he was protecting him."

"He's…"

Mardon's grip on the steering wheel increased. Roy could see his knuckles getting whiter.

Roy wasn't sure what Mark was going to say. Whatever it was, Mardon was no longer in the mood to share.

Roy assumed that Mardon was thinking about Clyde. About how he hadn't been able to protect the one person he had cared about. The one person who had depended on him.

Mardon could understand what Digger was going through. Not that it would help either of them.

Mardon would never open up about his brother. And Digger would most likely drink himself to death after this. The Rogues were broken, damaged.

Destroyed.

All this, because they had decided to try and help a couple cops.

Had decided to get involved.

That would teach them.

The headlights of the jeep flashed over something just up ahead. Mardon slowed the car down.

The kid didn't turn as they pulled up behind him. They could only see the boy from behind, his long coat obscuring most of his body. No way of knowing what Walker was hiding up his sleeves. He was walking funny, dragging his left leg slightly. The boy's pant leg was singed. Must have caught on fire at some point. He had his arms wrapped oddly in front of himself.

Mardon stopped the car. Both of them sat there for a moment, watching the kid shuffle along.

"Kid's determined, I'll give him that."

Walker was clearly fighting a losing battle. In addition to the leg wound, Cold had said Walker had been hit by flying debris earlier. Kid was leaving a blood trail so clear, they didn't need satellite imagery to follow.

Roy and Mardon opened their doors at the same time. They climbed out of the jeep and walked slowly towards Axel. Leery that the kid might turn at any moment and throw a bomb at them.

Roy wasn't an assassin. Didn't have the same taste for killing as some of the others. But Axel had been a part of the crew that had gotten Digger's son killed. Didn't matter if the Rogues hadn't known about the boy until tonight. Or that none of them had ever met Owen.

Nobody kills a member of their family and gets away with it.

No one would miss Axel Walker anyway.

They were only a few steps away now. Axel still hadn't turned, still moving at his slow awkward shuffle as though there was no one on the road but him.

Finally, Mark sighed and reached forward. He grabbed the kid by the collar and spun him around. The Trickster's injured leg gave out, causing him to fall to the ground.

Roy found it odd that the kid didn't put his hands back to break his fall. In fact…

"I'll be damned."

Axel was lying on his back. His arms, that Roy had assumed were wrapped around his body due to injuries, were actually holding on to something.

A small boy. No more than six years old.

The Trickster's jacket had blocked their view. They hadn't seen the boy cradled against Walker's chest. Hadn't seen Owen holding on to the Trickster for dear life.

Mardon was the first to shake off the shock.

"Owen?"

Mardon leaned down, his voice softer than Roy had ever heard it before. Roy didn't know why he was surprised by the gentleness he heard. Mardon had almost raised Clyde, the age difference between them enough that Mark had probably changed a few diapers in his time.

Had soothed many nightmares.

The child opened one eye cautiously.

"You're Owen right? My name's Mark and this is Roy. We're here to take you home."

Axel was staring at them with a dazed look. It wasn't just the leg wound from earlier. Now Roy could see a deep cut on the boy's forehead. Axel looked like he wasn't entirely sure how he got there, or who any of them were.

Owen continued to cling to Axel's shirt.

"Hey, I know you're scared buddy. And Axel here is taking good care of you, but he's hurt. You want to let us make sure Axel is ok?"

Owen looked between Axel and Mark a few times. Owen stared at Roy for a moment. Roy tried to make himself look less intimidating, but he wasn't sure how to do that. So he just tried not to make any sudden movements.

It worked on animals, surely it worked on kids too.

Owen had tears in his eyes, but he hesitantly let go of Axel.

"That's great buddy why don't…"

Owen flung himself into Mark's arms. The man hesitated a moment before picking the kid up. An odd look passing over the temperamental criminal's face. Roy was glad Mark was dealing with this, Roy had never been particularly good with children. Owen buried his face in Mark's shoulder, his words were muffled slightly.

"I wanna go home."

"Don't worry kid. We are going to get you home just as soon as we can. Why don't we go lay down in the car for a minute? I think there is some water in there. Are you thirsty?"

"Yes."

Mark stood up and started carrying Owen back to the jeep. Roy bent down and looked Axel in the eyes.

"Why did you save the kid?"

Axel looked down at his chest, seemingly only now noticing that Owen wasn't still attached to him.

"….wanted to ruin his trick…he…tricked me…I wanted…."

Axel drifted off. His eyes slid closed. Roy was certain you weren't supposed to let a person with a head injury fall asleep. Or maybe that was just something he had heard once on television. He didn't actually know if it was true or not.

Well.

This was unexpected.

Roy knew that Jesse had convinced Walker he was his son. But Cold had said he found proof that wasn't the case. Clearly the younger man had not taken the abandonment by his false father very well.

So he had struck back by trying to ruin one of Jesse's tricks. Getting the kid out of the building would have spoiled a part of the plan.

Owen wasn't just there to get Digger on their side. He was part of the main event. Owen dying in the fire would have been a blow to the Rogues and the Flash. It would have destroyed the dynamic of the Rogues. And not being able to save a child would have destroyed the confidence of the scarlet hero.

Roy was really regretting that they hadn't killed the Reverse Flash when they had the chance.

Roy stood up as Mardon returned. The man wasn't wearing his jacket.

"Kid's asleep on the back seat. What about him?"

"Needs some medical attention, but he should live. It would seem that he saved Owen to ruin his ex-father's plans."

Mark snorted in amusement.

"Is there a single criminal in this city that doesn't have family issues?"

Roy smiled slightly.

"Did you contact Digger?"

"No. Figured he has been keeping this kid secret for years. Last thing he would want is for the world to know Owen's still alive by announcing it over the coms. Kid'll be safer if everyone thinks he's dead."

Roy nodded. That was the smart play. Hopefully Digger didn't do anything stupid before they got a chance to tell him the truth…

They should probably get back as soon as possible.

Axel was laying on the ground completely unaware of the two men towering above him. Unaware of what they were supposed to do.

Technically, Cold hadn't told them to kill the kid. Just take care of the situation. The boy wasn't going to be answering any questions with that head wound. If they patched him up a bit, maybe Walker would be willing to talk. Willing to tell them anything he had heard from the Reverse Flash or Jesse. Any other plans or surprises.

Roy looked at Mardon.

Mardon sighed and rolled his eyes.

They reached down and pulled Axel up. Slinging his arms over their shoulders, they carried him back to the jeep. They laid him down in the back on the floor near Owen. Owen was fast asleep, curled up inside of Mardon's jacket.

Mardon started the jeep and they head back towards the base.

"I'll drop you off at just before the rendezvous. You can tell Digger there. I'll take these two back to the safe house. See if I can't treat some of Axel's wounds."

"I'll tell them you went back because you couldn't stand being around the cops any longer."

"Believable. And true. I'll be damn glad when we can just go back to robbing banks, and the cops go back to trying to catch us. This working together thing was bullshit."

Roy smiled at that.

"Agreed."

Roy got out of the jeep a quarter mile from the base. He watched the lights of the vehicle fade into the distance before he started walking. Lisa greeted Roy as he entered the compound.

"Lenny just checked in. Said they got Grodd and the Trickster locked up. Too many cops around for him to make it a more permanent solution though. Can't believe we haven't gotten to kill any of these bastards yet. So…" Lisa's eyes trailed over to where Digger was still sitting. It didn't look like the man had moved at all since Roy left. His broken arm still dangling uselessly at his side. He hadn't made any attempts to have anyone treat it.

Roy held Lisa's arm and whispered in her ear.

"Owen's alive. Mardon's taking him and Axel back to the safe house. We need to get out of here before any cops start asking questions."

Roy was always envious of how well Lisa could conceal her emotions. If she was surprised that both Owen and Axel were still alive, there was no indication of it.

There were several armed guards standing around. Word had started to spread that the threat had been neutralized. Now the cops were starting to turn their distrustful gazes back towards the Rogues.

Lisa nodded and they walked towards the motionless Digger.

"Come on Boomer. We need to get you to a hospital. Hey, you! We need to head out to a hospital now."

The cops looked nervously from one to another.

"You're supposed to stay here until Captain Singh or the Flash gets back."

Lisa rolled her eyes.

"He needs a doctor and we don't need babysitters. We're all on the same side here…"

Roy caught the eye of the cops standing near the cars. He instantly used his powers to keep them calm. Lisa distracted the cops near her until Roy was able to come up behind them. They were wearing shades, so the minute they turned around to look at Roy, Lisa knocked both of them out with the butt of her gun.

Lisa reached down and pulled Digger up.

"Come on baby, we need to get out of here."

Roy snagged the keys from one of the cops and they quickly stole a car.

Once they were safely away, Roy told Digger that Owen was alive.

Digger stared at Roy for a moment. Then continued to sit in silence, his gaze focused on the landscape outside the window. Roy had never heard Digger go this long without talking.

They were several miles out when Lisa tapped on her com a few times. It almost sounded like she tapped out some kind of pattern.

"Lenny, you boys ever coming back? I'm starting to get bored."

There was a moment of silence, Snart's voice sounded hesitant when he spoke.

"Sorry sis, thought you would have plenty to keep you occupied."

"Oh you know how I fickle I can be. Try not to dawdle big brother."

She clicked off her com and pulled it out of her ear.

"Throw out your earpieces. Cisco might be clever enough to be able to track them." Roy quickly pulled out his. Lisa reached over and removed Digger's then threw them all out the window.

"Digger, honey, did you hear what Roy said about Owen?"

"I heard him."

Roy and Lisa shared a look. There was none of the bravado, none of the brashness that Roy normally associated with the mercenary.

He just seemed tired.

The rest of the trip was made in silence.

Mardon was waiting for them in the garage at the safe house when they pulled in.

"Both of the kids are asleep. Owen is…"

Digger brushed past Mardon without a word.

They watched him go for a moment, then Mardon continued.

"Shawna said that Hartley is starting to come around. Soon as she is cleared to leave, she is going to bail and head here. Told her we had Walker here with us. She wasn't too thrilled. We can go back and get Hartley once he is a bit more out of the woods. Going to be hard to explain to Hartley how Digger is still with us."

Roy nodded. That was going to be a tricky conversation.

Lisa started walking inside. Roy and Mardon followed.

"What about Walker?"

"Still out, was up for a second, but was completely out of it. Kid took a hard hit to the head."

They reached the main living area, Digger was crouched over the couch. His hand was hovering inches above the sleeping child's head. It was clear he wanted to touch the boy, wanted to comfort him…but had no idea how.

Digger stood up and clenched his fist. The man seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that he had a broken arm. They really needed to fix that as soon as possible. Shawna would be back soon. She could set it. Or maybe Mick, he was the one who broke it in the first place. Let him deal with it.

"I need to get him back to his family. Make sure they understand they need to find somewhere new to live. Assuming they are still alive…shit. I hadn't thought about what to do with him if they are dead."

"We should wait until Lenny gets back. He'll know what to do. We will get all of this sorted out."

Digger ran a hand over his face.

"Yea…Yea, Cold'll know what to do." Digger sat down on the chair near the couch. His eyes never leaving the face of the little boy in front of him.

It was almost an hour later before Mick and Cold made an appearance. Lisa and Mardon were with Axel, the young man had woken up and tried to escape. Lisa said Walker still didn't know where he was or who he was with. Roy had decided to stay with Digger and watch over Owen.

Cold nodded to Roy then walked over to Digger.

"Mick come over here and help me set Digger's arm. Roy could you get a brace from one of the med kits?"

Roy went into the back room where they stored their loot. They also kept most of their alcohol and medical supplies in there. They had robbed a medical supply store a couple months back and kept their medicine supply well stocked. In their line of work, they always seemed to need it.

Roy grabbed a brace and some pain pills.

He returned just in time to see Digger biting on a leather belt while Mick pulled on Digger's arm and Cold held him steady.

Roy was certain he would scream in agony and then promptly pass out if it were him.

He wondered how much of Digger's silence was pain tolerance and how much was not wanting to wake up the sleeping child.

Roy handed the supplies to Cold and watched as Digger dry swallowed a few pain pills.

Mick stood up and walked to the kitchen. The pyromaniac offered no apologies for breaking Digger's arm. In the moment, Mick had been incapacitating an enemy. Stopping a threat. He had believed Digger was a traitor who was going to kill a member of his family.

Mick had nothing to apologize for.

Cold's hand was still on Digger's shoulder. Len looked at Mick and Roy.

"Why don't you two head on to bed? Digger and I need to have a little chat."

Roy was certain Cold was past the point of wanting to kill Digger, but there was still so much they didn't know. So much that needed to be figured out.

Roy and Mick walked out, leaving the leader alone to talk to their black sheep.

Roy snorted. How the hell did a group composed entirely of criminals and murderers still manage to have a black sheep?

"The punk kid still alive?"

Roy nodded at Mick's question.

"Last time I checked. Mardon didn't think his injuries were too severe. Just a head wound to watch out for."

"This place is getting too crowded."

"Most of our enemies have been neutralized. The ones that would murder us in our sleep anyway. I'm sure Cold won't have a problem with us leaving for our own places soon. As long as we stay in contact."

Mick gave Roy a long look.

"Hm. Maybe."

Mick turned and headed towards his room.

Roy could never tell if he had just had a good or a bad interaction with the taciturn pyromaniac.

Roy sighed and headed to his room as well. He was glad this day was over. Glad that soon everything would go back to normal.

 

* * *

 

Snart was staring at Digger, trying to see how he had missed something so obvious about the mercenary's personality.

The man was a father.

Digger Harkness had a son.

No matter how many times he played it over in his mind, it still didn't seem true. Cold had run extensive background checks on each member of the team when they first started working together.

There was nothing in Digger's past. Nothing that would point to the man having a child. Nothing to indicate that he loved that kid to the point of killing anyone who knew about him.

"Who is the mother?"

"What's it matter?"

"I need to know if she is going to be a problem. If someone else might use her to get to…"

"She's dead."

"Did you kill her?"

"No."

Most people would be offended if they were asked if they murdered the mother of their child. Digger answered it as simply as if he was asked about the weather. Cold knew enough about Digger's past to know that it had been a fair question.

Or at least he had thought he had known.

What else didn't he know about these people?

Cold sighed. Obviously the child had to go.

"Where are his parents?"

"Upstate New York. Adopted him right proper. Got all the papers and everything. I covered all my tracks, got all the documents forged right. No one should have been able to find him."

"Is there any way you can contact them?"

"No. I put Owen in the system, once he got adopted I checked up on the family. They were a good sort, give him a right life. Not snobs or anything. Then I cut 'em loose. Never checked in, never 'just happened to be passing through'. No accidental run ins. I stayed clear. He's…his hair's gotten darker since he was a baby."

Cold could almost see the resemblance between Digger and the kid. The same nose, the same facial features. The kid was going to be the spitting image of his father one day.

Digger had yet to look at anything other than the boy.

"So bloody big."

"We need to get him out of the city as soon as possible. Eventually someone might realize there wasn't a body in the debris. I might know someone, someone we can trust, who could falsify those documents for us. But getting Owen back to his parents, and getting them safely away needs to be the priority. Take as much cash as you need to get them out of the country, get them new identities…"

"What if they're dead? What do I do with him then?"

Cold hesitated for a moment. It would be problematic if the Reverse Flash had killed Owen's parents. Although, if he hadn't…

"What are their names?"

"John and Carolyn Mercer."

Cold walked over to Hartley's laptop. He did a quick search.

"John and Carolyn Mercer, upstate New York. Reported their son Owen missing. They're still alive and well. The hard part now will be convincing them that you weren't the one that kidnapped him."

Cold had expected Digger to be relieved at the news that the Mercers were still alive. Instead he looked…disappointed.

"Right…yea. I'll figure it out."

"Your interpersonal skills are not one of the reasons I keep you on the crew. Lisa can go with you and…"

"No. I'll take care of it. Alone."

"The Rogues don't work alone."

"They do on this. Can't…can't risk anyone else knowing about where he is."

Len thought about it for a moment then nodded. Digger would kill to protect his son, rightfully so. He didn't want to put any of the Rogues in the position where Digger might have to kill one of them to keep his son's location a secret.

"You'll need to leave in the morning. Get some sleep Digger."

Digger hesitated for a moment. His next question spoken in a tone so hesitant, it seemed out of place on the normally abrasive man.

"What…what if they don't want him anymore? What if I take him back and his parents don't want the hassle? Don't want to take in a kid that…"

Digger stopped speaking. Len didn't know what to say to that. His own experiences with parents weren't exactly ideal. Len's father would have left him on the side of the road to die if he thought he could have gotten away with it.

"Then we will deal with that problem."

Digger didn't respond just leaned back in the chair, his eyes closing slightly.

Cold walked out of the room and headed towards where Axel Walker was being watched over by Mardon.

"He regain consciousness yet?"

"Once, tried to escape. Been mumbling a bit in his sleep though. Jesse did a number on the kid."

Len knew a thing or two about the sort of things a father's influence could do to you. Could twist you into.

"I'll take over. Get some sleep."

Mardon nodded.

"What about Digger and the boy?"

"It's being taken care of. I have a plan."

And he did. It had a few more uncertainties than his normal plans, but it still had an 87% chance of success.

Len woke the next morning earlier than the others. By the time he reached his destination, the sun was just beginning to rise.

Len had thought about holding off on this. Waiting until things had settled down a bit. But Digger needed to get out of the city as soon as possible. And he didn't need to be worrying about whether or not someone would find out about Owen being alive.

He rang the doorbell.

Len had forgone his usual parka in favor of a long jacket and suit. To anyone who noticed, he might just look like a normal upstanding citizen. He hadn't even brought his gun with him.

A show of good faith.

He rang the doorbell again.

His hand was still on the button when the door opened.

"Seriously?"

Barry Allen had clearly just woken up. He was still wearing his pjs. Not the type of thing you want to be wearing when an enemy shows up at your door unannounced.

"Relax kid, I'm not here to fight. We need to talk…perhaps you should let me in before people start to recognize me. Wouldn't want them wondering why someone who works for the police department is letting super villains into his home."

The kid practically grabbed Len and pulled him into the house.

"What the hell do you want Snart? I am really not in the mood for any games right…"

"The boy in the warehouse that Jesse was holding hostage was Digger's son."

"What?" The kid ran a hand through is hair. Allen came to a sudden conclusion. "That's why Harkness turned on you? He was being blackmailed?"

"Yes. Unfortunately we didn't know about the situation until..."

"Until it was too late." The kid looked devastated. Like he was to blame for what had happened. That was the problem with hero types, always trying to take the blame. Cold knew exactly who was to blame for everything that had happened, knew exactly what he was going to do when he finally got his hands on the Reverse Flash.

"Until it was almost too late."

Allen turned his head towards Len. If he was being completely honest with himself, Len would have to admit that his motivations for telling Barry about Owen were two fold. One, so that Allen could forge the necessary documents to make it appear that Owen had died in the fire. And two…so that the damn kid wouldn't think he had been to blame for a child's death.

Len wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not even Scarlet.

"Axel Walker had a bit of a change of heart. Managed to get Owen out before the bombs went off. That's why he wasn't with Jesse and Grodd when we captured them."

Close enough to the truth that Allen wouldn't question it. At least not right now.

"Owen…"

"Yes, the kid is safe. And…."

"You want him to stay that way. By making everyone think he is dead."

Kid would have made a good criminal. Len didn't say it out loud though. Allen wouldn't have taken it as the compliment it was meant to be. Would have just been offended.

"We just need a few documents. You don't have to identify the body. Just make sure that everything shows that a body was found in the wreckage."

"What about Owen?"

This was the trickier part. The part where he had to convince the Flash that a six year old was safer with a bunch of criminals than he would be with the cops.

"His adoptive parents are still alive. They reported him missing. Digger is going to take Owen back to his real parents and make sure they understand that they have to find a new place to live. Maybe change their names. The less you know about it the better."

The kid was struggling with it. Len maintained as neutral a face as he could. He needed the Flash to think he had some sort of say in the matter.

He didn't of course. The Rogues were always going to do what was best for the Rogues. Everyone else be damned. But the heroes liked to believe they had influenced decisions in some way. Made things easier in the long run.

Len didn't want Digger to have to kill Allen for knowing too much.

"Fine."

Cold blinked slowly at Allen's response.

"I was expecting more of a fight than that to be honest."

"…You know my history. You know what my father was accused of. No one, besides me, ever thought he was a good father after he was sent away. Harkness may be a criminal, that doesn't mean he isn't a good father."

Len sometimes forgot how much of an optimist Allen could be. Always seeing the good in people. Or the potential for good. No doubt he believed that Harkness would someday become a better person for his son.

That optimism was going to get Barry killed one day.

"No one can ever know about Owen."

"You have my word."

The Flash stuck out his hand. It wasn't often in his life that Len believed in a promise made over a handshake.

Len took Allen's hand. He shook it briefly, then let go.

"Well I should probably go before Detective West gets home."

Allen's face turned from sincere to annoyed quickly. Len wondered if changing emotions rapidly was a side effect of the kid's speed.

"You did freeze the cop car he was inside of."

"Our alliance was at its end. It was his own fault for not being better prepared. See you around Scarlet."

Len turned and headed for the door. Allen's voice halted his movements.

"You know, we worked well together. Not just with you and Lisa, but all the Rogues. It was…it was almost like that was the way it should have always been."

Len turned his head slightly, but kept his back turned.

"It was a one time thing kid."

"We'll see."

The damn kid was smiling. Len turned and walked out without another word.

That optimism was definitely going to get him killed one day.

The Rogues didn't save people. They were thieves. Murderers. Liars. The Rogues only watched out for themselves and each other.

They only watched out for family.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original idea I had for this sequel was "Digger betrays them" and it just completely spiraled from there. This chapter was one of the first things I wrote for the whole story.


	9. Epilogue

Hartley had been silent for almost an entire minute. Trying to process everything that Roy had told him. How Digger was still a Rogue. How he had a kid. How Axel Walker, one of the people who attacked them, who put Shawna in the hospital, was sleeping in Digger's room while the mercenary was gone.

Roy wouldn't be surprised if Hartley didn't believe any of it. If his anger towards the mercenary was still simmering. If the kid still wanted revenge. They had only gotten him out of the hospital yesterday. Bandages still completely covered his chest. He was still hooked up to a heart monitor that Shawna had stolen. Cold had given orders that if Hartley's heart rate didn't look right they were to take him back to the hospital.

Roy might have actually heard Cold mention something about sending Shawna back to nursing school. It would pay for itself at the rate they were going.

Finally the young genius turned to Roy.

"So…you're telling me….that, someone had sex with Digger Harkness? Willingly?"

Roy let out a surprised laugh. The kid was looking at Roy with an expression of pure doubt. That…that would be the part the kid would find the most improbable.

"We don't actually know who the mother is…"

"So it could be anyone. Or the kid could have been created in a lab, though why someone would use Digger's DNA as a template for anything completely flies in the face of whatever scientific procedures were used to create this child….Are we certain it is a child, maybe a highly advanced robotics…"

"You would go to humanoid android child before you would believe a woman would have sex with Digger."

"Can you blame me? I mean, she didn't just have sex with him. She then proceeded to carry his child to term? What kind of monster would do that to the world? Bringing another Digger into it…If I had believed in God before this, I sure as hell don't now."

Roy couldn't help the smile on his face. The kid was looking down at his hands. No doubt calculating some ridiculous odds in his head. Roy's smile dimmed slightly.

"You're really ok with this?"

"Not going to lie, getting stabbed by that Neanderthal wasn't pleasant…but I am aware of how easy it would have been for him to kill me instantly. I've seen how accurate he is with those idiotic weapons of his. He didn't have to miss, especially knowing that his son's life depended on doing what the Reverse Flash told him. Where is he now?"

"Took the kid back to New York where its parents are."

"He went alone?"

"Outright refused to let anyone else go with him."

"Smart…well, as smart as any decision Digger makes can be. Be easier for him to get in unnoticed."

"We don't know when he will be back. If the kid's parents don't want him anymore, he will have to find somewhere else for Owen to go."

"Hm."

The two lapsed into silence.

There was something still bothering the kid. Roy could see it in the way Hartley was looking around. Avoiding Roy's gaze. Hartley Rathaway was a lot of things, but timid wasn't one of them. It wasn't like him to avoid eye contact, to not go into greater detail than was necessary. There was something off in Hartley's tone. In the way he was responding to the questions, like it was what was expected of him. Not what he really wanted to say.

Roy knew what it was like to hide your distrust, your annoyance, with the other Rogues. Knew how hard it had been for him to let go of the destruction of his paintings.

"Hartley, if having Digger still be…"

"I don't have a problem with that. Well, no more so than I ever did. I can continue to tolerate his presence with the same disdain as I did prior to this."

"So what's…"

Hartley hesitated for a moment. No doubt trying to decide whether or not Roy was someone he could open up to. Eventually the young genius began to speak.

"It's…it's the fact that we went there in the first place…"

Hartley trailed off. His eyes staring up at the ceiling. Roy was confused.

"You're mad at Cold for leading us into that trap? You think we shouldn't have gotten involved?"

"No…that's…it's not that we got involved. It's why we got involved. If Grodd hadn't been there, if Cold hadn't thought the Reverse Flash was behind it, do you think we would have tried to save any of those people? The cops, the Flash, anyone?"

Roy looked at Hartley for a moment.

"No. Wasn't our fight. No reason to risk our lives for them."

Hartley sighed.

"And when we were there, when we were helping them…it didn't feel like we…you know what, I'm tired, that's all. I should…"

"You're not pissed we got involved, you're pissed because there was a chance we wouldn't have?"

Hartley refused to move his head. He kept his eyes firmly on the ceiling.

"Like I said…I'm tired. I should just, get some rest."

Roy didn't understand Hartley's dilemma. They did get involved. They did save those people, even though they didn't have any reason to. Saving people wasn't their jobs. Hell, they did those people a favor by saving their asses and look what it had almost cost them.

Digger had almost lost his son, Mardon had almost lost his mind, Hartley could have died…

If anything, it was only proof that the Rogues shouldn't try to help out in those scenarios. Let the cops and the capes take the chances. The Rogues didn't need to be risking their lives.

The kid was just tired. He was smart, he would figure out that not getting involved was usually the right play. The Rogues just needed to look out for each other. No one else.

It was because the kid had almost died. That was all it was. Something like that happens and you start thinking about every part of your life. Telling yourself you're going to make changes. A couple weeks and Hartley would be back to normal, he would forget all about this ridiculous idea of helping out.

The kid just needed more rest. That was all it was.

Roy stood up.

"Alright kid. Get some sleep. Shawna will be in later to check your bandages."

Hartley closed his eyes and turned his head.

Roy walked out of the room. Cold was waiting outside.

"Everything good with Rathaway?"

Roy looked back towards where the kid was sleeping. Thought about the hesitation in his voice, the strange conflicted feelings he was having.

"He's fine. Just needs to rest. He took the news about Digger rather well."

"Good. Have you spoken to Shawna?"

"No."

"Go find her."

"Why?"

Cold walked away without another word. Roy rolled his eyes. Cold was the most dramatic person he had ever met. Shawna probably just wanted to know what was for dinner. But Cold had to turn everything into a spectacle.

Roy found Shawna sitting on the hood of a cop car in the garage. Roy walked over and stood near her.

"Cold send you out here to talk to me?"

"He did. Although he was ridiculously obtuse about the reason why."

"I told him I wanted to leave."

Roy stared at Shawna for a moment. She…she wasn't serious.

"You're serious?"

"Not like…forever. I don't want to leave the Rogues. I just…want to get away for awhile. Clear my head, you know. See what else is out there. I mean, you bailed for a few months and…"

"That was…"

"I know…I know it's not the same, I just thought you would understand I guess. I mean…it's not like any of us signed up for this right? Almost getting killed because a time traveler has a boner for the Flash. I mean, I love the rush from a job and coming back here and being a part of this but…I don't want to die having never been outside of Central."

Roy was silent at that. He didn't know she had never left Central. It sounded like she just wanted to take a trip. A vacation away from all the insanity.

And yet there was this...tone. This small sound that underlaid her words. That made Roy think Shawna might just disappear and never come back.

That she would find something better out there than she would ever find here.

"I'll check in. Text you guys all the time. Make sure there's still a…place to come back to. People do it all the time Roy. Move around for a bit, see what else the world has to offer."

Roy leaned against the car, his shoulder brushing slightly against her knee.

"What did Cold say?"

"Said he understood. That the Rogues could use a break. We're all tired…I mean you have to be tired too right?"

Roy sighed.

He was tired.

Not of the Rogues, or the heists, or the game they played with the Flash. But of the constant movement. The constant use of his powers. Even when there were weeks in between jobs, it still wasn't enough time to get back to center.

Maybe it would be good for all of them to separate for a little bit. Breathe in the air outside of their little bubble.

Cold, Lisa, and Mick would probably stick around Central. Although, Lisa had been talking about going to a museum in Italy. About a particularly beautiful collection of gold artifacts they had. And Mick was starting to get that look in his eyes. Like the next fire had to be big. More than what Cold would let him burn in Central.

This thing with the Reverse Flash had been too close. They all wanted to regain some semblance of control on their lives. And for most of them, that meant going back to what they knew. Going back to what they were best at.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know. Maybe Australia? Or Japan. I've always wanted to go to Japan."

"ARGUS…"

"Cold already gave me that speech. I'm going to keep him updated. Said if I don't check in once a week, he would come and find me. Which was both creepy and sweet."

Roy smirked.

"What about you Roy? Think you'll stick around?"

Roy thought about Hartley laying in that bed. The boy would start to go stir crazy here pretty soon without something to focus on. He thought about Mardon, who was still having trouble using his powers. They would both be terrible if left alone. God knows the havoc a bored Hartley Rathaway could wreck.

"I'll stick around for now."

Shawna slid off of the car, and put a hand on his shoulder. She placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Well if you get bored, let me know. Maybe we can meet up in Prague or something. Steal a couple paintings."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'm going to go say goodbye to the others…take care of yourself Roy."

"You too Shawna."

She started to walk away, then hesitated and turned around.

"I will be back."

Roy didn't say anything to that. He just let her walk away.

He wasn't sure even she believed it.

Roy leaned back against the car.

Shawna was right. Families did this kind of thing all the time. People moved away or left. Didn't mean they were gone forever. Just meant things would be…different for awhile.

First Digger, now Shawna. Roy thought briefly about the look in Hartley's eyes. Although if he was honest with himself, that look had always been there. Hartley had always seemed to be…slightly removed from the rest of them. They all knew the Rogues were temporary, that it couldn't last forever. No criminal organization ever did. Eventually someone would get lucky, take one of them out. But with Hartley, it had always felt different to Roy. Like there was another reason Hartley thought he wouldn't be here for very long.

And now there was this Axel kid. Roy wouldn't say that any of the Rogues were particularly stable. But they knew the rules and they stuck to them as best they could. Axel had spent the last year or two with James Jesse, working with a man who didn't just ignore rules, but deliberately tried to blow them out of existence.

Roy couldn't be certain that Axel would be a good fit for the Rogues.

Which was why he wasn't surprised when a few days later Cold asked him to be in the room when he and Mick had a talk with the younger man.

Roy knew that there wasn't much of an age difference between Axel Walker and Hartley. That there was no reason to see the young man as anything other than a potential enemy, one who had been under the tutelage of a bonafide psychopath for several years. But when he was laying in the bed, with Mick and Cold towering over him, bandages encasing his head and chest, Roy couldn't help but think that Axel looked so damn…small.

So damn young.

Without the mask and the ridiculous clothes, without the manic grin and stupid jokes, or weapons disguised as children's toys, he looked just like any other kid. Abandoned by his family, surrounded by people who might hurt him. Roy idly wondered if the boy's mother was still alive. Was she waiting for her son to remember who he was before Jesse got his claws in him? To snap out of this super villain phase and come home?

Or was she relieved to be rid of him? Glad she could finally write him off as just another lost cause. It couldn't have been a very stable childhood if Axel had been willing to follow someone as deranged as Jesse so blindly.

Although…Roy supposed he could understand it in a way. Sometimes the need to escape from your past, from what everyone always said you would be, overwhelmed your instincts for danger. You didn't always look too closely at the first hand that reached out to you, willing to pull you out of the mud. Didn't question where it might be dragging you off to.

Roy brushed off the thought and rubbed his eyes. He needed to focus on what was in front of him, not behind.

Cold was lounging in a chair beside Walker's bed. Mick stood off to the side, arms crossed, looking like he might reach forward and strike at any moment. Walker had blearily woken up a few minutes ago, the boy was still clearly out of it. The pain meds they gave him making him groggy. Although he was doing his best to appear nonchalant. Like he didn't care about what was happening or why he was here.

Like he wasn't afraid.

"Axel." Cold spoke softly, but with a tone that demanded attention. Walker turned his head towards Cold. The Rogue's leader examined the young man for a few moments before speaking again.

"We have a few questions we need to ask. And if you answer correctly, there won't be any issues. You can go your own way and continue to terrorize the citizens of Central City with acid cream pies and exploding yo-yo's. But…I don't appreciate being lied to. And neither does Mick so…"

"What about Rainbow Warrior there? He like being lied to or something?"

The kid was cocky. Roy smirked but kept his mouth shut.

"Roy is here for…insurance. Now let's start with something simple, do you have any other weapons or explosives on you?"

"Seeing as you guys strip searched me while I was unconscious, total creeper move by the way, that would be pretty impressive. Although I guess I am rather impressive."

This time, Len and Mick both smirked at the kid's attitude. Axel just kept talking.

"Oh and can we cut out the whole, 'insurance' thing? I know he can't read emotions or detect lies or whatever other BS you were going to say. Even before the banana man showed up and gave us files on each of you guys, I knew all about you. I hacked ARGUS when I was 16 to get my…Jesse's information and schedule. So it was no problem to find all of your info and stats in less than two seconds. So how about this, you let me walk out of here right now, and I'll give you all the files. Both the ones I have and the ones the Reverse Flash gave me. Then we can stop with this hilarious game of good cop, bad cop, and weird cop who just stands there and does nothing because his powers don't work like that."

Walker had turned his attention towards Mick. Taking his eyes off of Cold, practically turning his back on him. Mick actually smiled.

"Boy, if you think I'm the bad cop here, you really didn't read those files you got."

Walker was able to mask his confusion fairly quickly and turned to Roy. Roy raised an eyebrow. He wasn't the bad cop in the scenario either.

Axel slowly turned back towards Cold. The older man's posture hadn't changed, Snart was still lounging in the chair like he couldn't care less about what was happening in the room.

But Snart's eyes were no longer amused. They were hard. Cold. Cruel.

"I had hoped you were smarter than this Axel." Walker could tell something had changed, but he hadn't been around any of them long enough to realize exactly what it was.

Captain Cold was no longer in the room. Leonard Snart, the criminal who had murdered members of his own crew for not following orders. Who had endangered the lives of innocent civilians if it was necessary for the job. Who never once thought about the people he had killed.

That was the man sitting in the chair now.

Snart was looking at a potential threat, the only variable he couldn't predict. Calculating if it was worth letting Axel live, considering he was the only one outside of the Rogues who knew that Owen was alive.

It didn't matter to Leonard Snart that Axel had saved Owen. The Rogues had repaid that debt by not killing Walker instantly. The young man owed them now.

Axel shrunk back slightly, though Roy was impressed by the boy's ability to hold Snart's gaze.

"Now. Mick here seems to think that you could be useful to us. That your arrogance and instability can be attributed to your youth. I'm not entirely sure I agree, but I've known Mick a long time and I'm willing to trust his judgment. Which is why you and I are having this conversation. I wasn't bargaining earlier, I wasn't attempting to get you to open up or to trust us. I was offering you the chance to explain why I shouldn't just kill you and dump your body where no one will ever find it. We don't need files on ourselves, we know who we are. We know what we are capable of. Do you, Axel?"

The Trickster still hadn't looked away. There was fear in the boy's eyes but something else as well. Something that looked suspiciously like awe. Roy glanced over and shared a look with Mick. Mick just shook his head, he could see it too.

Axel Walker was never going to go back to that hypothetical mother of his. Whoever he used to be, was gone.

Maybe Mick was right, the best thing to do would be to keep the kid close. Keep an eye on him while they learned everything they needed to know.

That didn't mean that Snart was going to give Walker a chance to betray them. A chance to hurt a member of his family. Leonard Snart had no intention of being caught unawares ever again.

"I'm going to ask you a question Axel. And if you answer incorrectly I am going to kill you. Do you understand?"

Walker nodded his head. The boy almost looked excited. But it was more than just getting the chance to live through the next few minutes. Walker wanted to prove himself to Snart.

Probably not the healthiest thing for the kid, but Rogues weren't exactly known for their mental stability.

"Good. Now, why should I let you join the Rogues?"

It was a simple question. One with a thousand different answers. But Roy knew that Snart was looking for only one.

There was only one right answer in his mind.

And if Axel didn't provide it, Snart was going to put a bullet between his eyes.

Axel opened his mouth and closed it a few times. His eyes darted back towards Mick and Roy. But he wasn't looking for encouragement or reassurance. Axel was looking at them like they were intruding on a personal conversation. Like they had just barged into the room at the exact wrong moment.

Eventually Axel closed his eyes and leaned back in the bed.

"I need to be here."

Cold smirked. Then put a hand on Axel's shoulder.

"You will have to earn your spot."

Axel opened one bleary eye. Roy could tell the Trickster was trying to contain his excitement.

"Dude, I can…"

"Later. Get some rest. Mick." Cold nodded towards the door and Mick followed him out.

Roy sat down in a chair and kept an eye on Axel.

"It's super weird that you are going to watch me sleep."

"Not the first time I've been accused of being weird."

Roy had no doubts that Cold would be keeping a close eye on Axel. Looking for any signs that the kid was part of some greater plan. That the Reverse Flash or James Jesse hadn't sent the kid here as some sort of fail safe. As another way to get to and destroy the Rogues.

Roy watched Axel fake falling asleep.

After half an hour, the pain meds kicked in and the kid actually fell asleep. Mick came in not too long after that and took over watching Axel.

Roy headed to the kitchen. Mardon was standing at the fridge. He looked up when Roy entered.

"Asshole still won didn't he?"

Roy raised an eyebrow at Mark's tone, the man had come around the side and was now leaning against the table. He handed Roy a beer.

"Shawna told you."

"Yea, said it was just for a little bit. I don't know. Maybe she's right. Maybe it's time we all got a little breathing room." Mardon was silent for a few moments. "I think Hartley's going to bail too."

Roy sighed and nodded slightly. The past few days had only enforced the idea in Roy. Hartley continued to respond to questions like he was supposed to, but it just wasn't…right.

"I thought that as well."

"Saw a text on his phone from that Ramon kid. Asking if he was ok. Guess they used to know each other."

"Used to work together I believe."

There wasn't really much else to say on the matter. Either Hartley would stay or he would leave. The choice wasn't up to them.

"How's the new kid?"

"Unhinged. But Cold might be able to reign him in."

"Like he did with the rest of us?"

Roy smirked.

"I'm not sure Cold was ever able to reign you in."

Mark gave a small laugh.

"You're probably right about that."

Roy could feel this strange sort of sadness underlying their conversation.

An odd finality to it all.

"Things ain't going to be the same."

"No. I suppose they aren't. But it's hardly the largest change either of us have ever gone through."

Mark snorted.

"You got that right."

They sat there in silence for awhile. Neither willing to admit what they were both now certain of.

Digger might never come back.

Shawna might disappear.

Mick was getting restless. Looking for a release he wouldn't be able to find as long as he was tethered to the Rogues.

Lisa…Roy hadn't really spoken to Lisa very much since their return. But if what Shawna said was true, then even she was looking for something more low key. Just a simple heist or two, with no psychopaths or gorillas in the mix.

Hartley, now that he had an olive branch extended to the STAR Labs kids, might go back. Might return to his life before he had fallen in with a bunch of criminals. Kid could probably expunge his records, end up with a clean slate.

Start over.

One day the Rogues might end up fighting against Hartley. Roy didn't know how to feel about that. He filed that away as something to consider if it ever came to it.

Cold, well Roy couldn't ever get a read on him, but even he had to be looking for something new. The man thrived on a challenge. Now that he had been able to go up against the Reverse Flash and so many other formidable enemies, would robbing a bank still hold his interest? Or would he start looking for something more?

The Rogues, as they had known them, as they had been for close to two years now, were done.

It was time to either move forward.

Or move on.

Roy wasn't sure which he wanted. He looked at Mardon.

"You going to stick around?"

"At least til my powers are back to normal. You?"

"Same."

"No reason to decide now."

"True."

And yet it felt like it was already decided.

Roy pushed away from the table. It would be nice to be able to walk down the street, to eat in a restaurant, to be somewhere where no one knew him. Even just for a little while.

He could always come back.

The bond that the Rogues had forged left no doubt in his mind that there would always be a place for him here.

For all of them.

Regardless of where they went next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an epilogue to deal with everything that happened to them. This turned out a bit more melancholy than I had originally intended. I might have an idea for another one, but I don't know if I will have the time. Thanks for reading.


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